IMAGE RESTORATION NEWS – AT 8:44 A.M. ET:  If this weren't so sad, it would be funny.  Michelle Obama, seeking to restore her image after her Fantasy Island-style trip to Spain, is teaming up with...Laura Bush.  What?  You mean the wife of the evil BUSH (!!)?  Yes, that's the one.

The occasion will be a commemoration of the heroism aboard United Flight 93, which plunged to Earth in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001, after passengers tried to retake the plane from hijackers.  Ms. Obama, previously known for saying that she'd never been proud of her country until her husband ran for president, will apparently express her pride in the heroism of that day.  CNN will undoubtedly cover her live:

After her sterling public image took on some tarnish from her recent vacation to Spain, the White House announced that first lady Michelle Obama will appear with Laura Bush for Sept. 11 observances in Pennsylvania.

The deft public relations move by the administration will place the two popular first ladies side-by-side for the first time since the 2008 inauguration.

"I am proud to be a part of the ceremony and public gathering in Shanksville on September 11 to commemorate the courageous acts of those on board Flight 93," Bush said in a statement. "We must never forget the brave sacrifice of these extraordinary men and women."

Obama, vacationing with her family on Martha's Vineyard, saw her popularity dip after a recent trip to Spain with daughter Sasha, 9.

An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll after the Spain trip found just 50 percent of Americans had a positive opinion of the first lady, down 14 percent from the same poll in April...

...Gallup pollsters noted that Laura Bush averaged a 71 percent approval rating during her husband's presidency and left the White House in 2009 with a 76 percent favorability rating.

COMMENT:  There have also been suggestions in the liberal press that former President Bush step up and help President Obama out on the Ground Zero mosque issue.  We observe with pleasure that the former president has remained silent.

The first lady, having returned from Spain, is now on a 10-day holiday with her family in Martha's Vineyard, apparently recovering from the exhaustion of shopping. 

I suppose a trip to remember Flight 93 will help Michelle Obama, but one has to wonder if she really cares. 

August 24, 2010