First lady's advice for couples: Chuckle with your partner

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   >> as we said, we are pleased to welcome the first lady, michelle obama , to our studio to talk about a variety of subjects. mrs. obama , it's great to see you. welcome.

   >> it's good to be here.

   >> i have a potpourri for you.

   >> okay.

   >> let's start with egypt . your husband spoke forcefully during the early days of this saying a transition needs to begin now. the egyptians are still protesting in cairo. president mubarak is still in office some week or so later and it appears the white house softened its stance, not calling for his immediate departure. has his husband softened his stance?

   >> i'm not going to comment on his policy. the entire west wing has focused a lot of energy on this. when i look at what's going on in egypt it reminds me how grateful we are to live in a democracy. i wish the people of egypt the best and i know that america will be working to do the right thing.

   >> do you get the sense that it's a tough line to walk for your husband between his spoken desires of all people in the world living with freedom and democracy and the realities of foreign policy and dealing with a friend of this country for over 30 years?

   >> i don't think there is an issue that my husband deals with that isn't tough. it's hard being president of the united states . he's doing a great job and i know he's focused on this issue.

   >> i want to talk about re-election in a moment. you made news yesterday.

   >> i know.

   >> you revealed in an interview that your husband, after decades of smoking, was kicked the habit.

   >> well, i was asked. i didn't volunteer it, in case my husband is watching.

   >> he hasn't had a cigarette, according to you, in almost a year. robert gibbs said you probably had more than a little to do with this. was there tough love at the white house concerning this?

   >> of course. from all of the women in my husband's life. we want him to be healthy. he's worked hard and i'm proud he's been able to kick the habit.

   >> a lot of people in this country want to know how. people say every day, i want to quit smoking , but it is a coping mechanism. i live with stress, i li under long hours. so does your husband. how did he do it?

   >> you know, i don't know. once he made the commitment to quit, i left him alone. it's a very personal thing. i don't think there is one right way to do it. i know once a person makes the decision they have to find the best path. i think i said when a person is doing the right thing, you leave them alone.

   >> are you leaving him alone to the point you're not checking? is it possible he's going into the lincoln bedroom to sneak a smoke?

   >> no, no. you can tell.

   >> you can smell it.

   >> you can tell.

   >> the state of the union address , a lot of people thought, okay, this is the unofficial start of the 2012 presidential campaign . you know what campaigns can be like. they are gruelling. they are brutal at times. are you up for it?

   >> sure, yeah. i'm not thinking about it right now. it's not on my radar screen, but when it's time to get out on the road and talk to the american people , it's something that i enjoy doing.

   >> will you campaign aggressively?

   >> i will do whatever i'm asked to do.

   >> i was trying to do the math. if your husband is fortunate enough to win re-election, that means six more years in the white house for your family. sasha will be 15 --

   >> don't, don't. you're killing me.

   >> malia will be 18.

   >> how old will i be?

   >> not only ready to leave the white house , but to leave the house. there is their only childhood.

   >> yeah.

   >> you said you have been making it as normal as possible, but you don't get a redo. you can't redo it in a quieter way. does it concern you?

   >> i think about it all the time. barack and i try to keep them out of it. i think we have done a good job. if you talk to our kids they are very normal. we recognize them. but friend who is come to visit they look and say, these are the little girls we have known. we're just going to stay vigilant.

   >> six more years is a long time to raise children in the spotlight.

   >> there are a lot of great kid who is have come out of the white house . so the tradition is great. the bush girls are magnificent. chelsea clinton , she's a solid young woman . we are all proud of them. folks have done -- caroline kennedy . we have a pretty good track record. so the obama girls hopefully will be among --

   >> in that group of positive outcomes.

   >> that's what we are going to hope and pray and ask the country to keep them in their prayers.

   >> before the super bowl your husband gave an interview to bill o 'reilly and was asked if it disturbed him that so many people hated him. first of all, i think the word "hate" is a very powerful word. do you think people hate your husband, even those on the far right?

   >> i'm sure that there are some people who don't like my husband. any president of the united states -- this is a tough job. you're not going to please everybody all the time. that's not why you do this job. there are tough decisions that have to be made. so i'm sure there are people who don't like my husband. there are people who have had strong feelings about every single president that's ever held the office.

   >> taking "hate" out of it, there is obviously extreme criticism. i think you made the comment that you don't think your husband has changed dramatically as a result of that criticism. is he the same guy today that he was two years ago as he entered the white house ?

   >> he is. he really is. he is, i think -- one of his gifts is consistency. emotionally, he doesn't get too high or too low unless it has to do with his family. who he is as a president and who he is as a dad and a husband are two different things. he's got a thick skin. he's focused on a set of goals. he wants to do the best job he can in office. i think he's doing a great job. he's remained steady through it all. i think that's a good thing.

   >> tough challenges facing him.

   >> absolutely.

   >> last time we spoke, he said the economy was in tough shape. unemployment was a major concern. a lot of republicans have criticized your husband saying he hasn't focused enough on creating jobs. we asked our viewers to submit e-mail questions. mrs. obama , so many concerned the economy and jobs. if there is someone out there watching right now who is unemployed and is having a very difficult time finding a new job, do you expect that person to support your husband in 2012 ?

   >> yes, absolutely.

   >> why?

   >> because we are seeing some significant improvements in the economy. i mean, if we look at where we were two years ago when barack took office, we are definitely moving in the right direction. it's a slow growth and that's something barack has said throughout. change doesn't happen overnight. it takes time. but if you look at the accomplishments over this year, he has kept every single promise that he's made. it doesn't always feel good when you're down and out. but i think we are on the right path.

   >> and so to kitty from ft. worth, texas, who wrote and said, what is your advice, mrs. obama , for someone out there looking for a job? what would you say?

   >> i think this is why in the state of the union address , my husband focused on investment in the future, education, community colleges . many people are going to have to get retrained. because the economic structure of this country has just changed significantly. some jobs that were there are just gone. so my advice is to find the sectors that are growing. find a way to retrain. look at community colleges and use this time to recharge skills and keep growing. we are at the point in this country where all careers are fluid. i think the days of working in that company for 20 years are gone and young people kind of know that already. they're coming in and they are thinking, i'm here two years. where is my next step? how do i get my next -- you know, training certificate? how do i keep moving and growing?

   >> keep improving themselves.

   >> that's how we have to focus.

   >> i want to congratulate you on an anniversary. it's a year into "let's move" a campaign to improve our nation's children, to get them active and eating healthier. what's been the most important success over that year?

   >> i think seeing the broad-based coalition of people who are stepping up. we are getting involvement from every sector. from businesses, from the medical profession, from teachers, parents. you know, i had hoped when we started this that this would be a unifying issue because we all care about our kids. and i have seen that positive momentum that people are ready to make some hard changes in their lives in the way we live. we fundamentally started shifting the conversation in this country and that's been a very good thing.

   >> one of the things you talk a lot about is school lunches.

   >> absolutely.

   >> i have three kids in public schools . by the time you leave the white house in two years or six, how will what my kids and other kids in public schools in this country is served in the school cafeteria have changed? what will be the big difference?

   >> with the passing of the child nutrition legislation this year, we are seeing some of the most sweeping changes in school lunches that we have seen in generations. that was a surprise to me. i would have thought of all the changes that we would have improvements in school lunches but we haven't, but now we'll start seeing that.

   >> your n're not going to take my kids tater-tots, though?

   >> do you want them to have the tater-tots?

   >> i want the tater-tots. but you will see dramatic changes?

   >> you wille see it improve and focused on education. that's just as important, understanding how to eat.

   >> what's amazing is when you set out on a project like this you are held to a very tight set of guidelines. you threw a super bowl party on sunday and the menu got out. let me read things. the buffalo wings , deep dish pizza --

   >> they were all good.

   >> people say, wait, this is the lady trying to fight obesity and they put your feet to the fire on this. how did you respond?

   >> you know, i have always talked about balance in this campaign. we are really trying to make some changes. if you go at a parent and say, you can never take your kid to get a burger, you have lost them. that's not the reality we live in. it's not my reality. i do talk openly about my obsession with french fries . i want people to understand the changes we have to make in our lives are not wholesale changes. many of the changes for kids are small changes, things like adding fruits and vegetables, getting kids moving, putting more water in the diet. these are doable things.

   >> if you have a day like super bowl sunday, the next day, go back to balance.

   >> that's what i tell the kids. you can have birthday cake and everything else, have your vegetables and get your exercise. it's important for families not to get caught up, not to think i can never indulge. life is about good food. at least in america.

   >> a couple of topics before i let you go. we talked about this last time at the white house . i said the stress takes a toll. you said he still looks good, but people are wondering whether your husband is dyeing his hair.

   >> oh, josh.

   >> january 19th . on the left, something from early in the morning . this is a day the chinese president visited. in the afternoon, his hair looks darker. what is it? is he dying his hair?

   >> no. he's pretty gray.

   >> so it's lighting?

   >> yeah. it's lighting. i think if he had known he would be president he would have started dying his hair ten years ago.

   >> grecian formula ?

   >> right. it's too late.

   >> is he vain about his appearance?

   >> oh, no.

   >> not at all?

   >> gosh, not at all. i wish he would focus more on a different color suit. a new shirt. sasha and malia and i cheer when he puts on a bright-colored shirt. yeah! he cares very little about his appearance.

   >> for all you were trying to accomplish as first lady, you know what's on google. your style.

   >> mm-hmm.

   >> frustrating or compliment?

   >> i take it as a compliment. it's not something that i focus on. you know.

   >> you are who you are and let people decide what they want?

   >> yeah. everybody's got to get dressed in the morning and put on something. i hope people find it nice. but it's not something i focus on.

   >> real quickly at the end, are sasha and malia on facebook ?

   >> no.

   >> because of who they are or you're not in favor of it?

   >> i think we are lucky that there are real constraints, things like secret service and stuff like that. i'm not a big fan of young kids having facebook . so, you know, it's not something they need. it's not necessary right now.

   >> when you leave the white house they will want to be on facebook and you're okay with that?

   >> depends on when we leave and how old they are.

   >> if they're 40? you can let them out of the bubble?

   >> we'll talk about it.

   >> michelle obama . mrs. obama , great to have you in the studio. continued success.

   >> thank you so much, matt.

   >> it's 46 after the hour.

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