Michelle Obama dips a toe into the health care debate

Sun-Times DC reporter and prolific political blogger Lynn Sweet writes about the cautious steps First Lady (and former UC Medical Center exec) Michelle Obama is taking as the health care debate ramps up. Here's a sample from her FLOTUS blog at Politics Daily:

By focusing on the wellness side of health care -- rather than policy issues, such as whether there will be a government-sponsored "public option" insurance plan in the legislative package, a major item the Obama administration supports -- she avoids any comparison with former First Lady Hillary Clinton, who took on systemic delivery of health care as a signature issue.

Mrs. Obama is making a series of speeches about wellness, prevention and childhood obesity. Sweet says a good chunk of her speeches' themes will focus on the need for more community health centers, a linchpin of UCMC's controversial Urban Health Initiative, championed by the First Lady.

She will not address Congress on the health care issue, perhaps avoiding the pitfalls suffered by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton when she was first lady.

Sweet, by the way, is a really fun read, both on FLOTUS and her Sun-Times blog. She's also got a heckuva a fastball.