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Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Absurd as Michelle Obama rated ahead of Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin as most powerful woman

Posted on Saturday, October 16, 2010 at 10:44 PM

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Forbes Magazine has rated Michelle Obama ahead of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin as the most powerful woman in the world.

Big mistake.

Michelle is named as No.1. Hillary is rated as No. 5, Sarah Palin at No.16

Michelle Obama is an extraordinary woman but would have little impact were she not the wife of the president of the United States.

There is also the reality that while the First Lady can inspire and encourage she cannot actually impact policy in any direct manner

Hillary Clinton,of course, knows that very well and while she was initially in her husband's shadows she has since emerged as a leader in her own right first as a U.S. senator then a presidential candidate and then as Secretary of State.

She is by far the most accomplished woman of her generation.To rate her behind not only Michelle Obama, but Oprah Winfrey too is ludicrous

It is hard to argue, as Forbes do, that a First Lady with no executive power is as powerful as the U.S. Secretary of State who has intervened in some of the world's major trouble spots and has played an increasingly key role in the foreign policy agenda of Barack Obama.

It is also hard to argue that Michelle is more powerful than Sarah Palin who at one point was potentially within a heartbeat of the presidency.

Prior to that she was a popular governor of Alaska, one of the few women to run a statehouse.

Since her presidential run she has become a political phenomenon influencing millions of Americans through her speeches, tweets and television interviews.

Yet she is rated not only behind Michelle Obama but also Lady Gaga,Beyonce and Ellen De Generes

But before some of you say it some liberal agenda, this is Forbes magazine, bastion of conservative politics.

So their choices are bound to be controversial across the board. No question in my mind when it comes to power, Hillary Clinton should be rated first with Palin second.

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KerryLKing | Nov 19, 2010, 10:39 AM EST

Agree with you Niall!!! Hillary should have DEFINITELY" been above Michelle....actually should have been above "any" Obama. If she had been the President (as I had hoped she would have been) the US would have been in better shape than we are now!! So many Americans voted Obama in because "he was good as a speaker"....weel, that doesn't make one a good leader....just a good memorizer of words. And that's how we got into this mess that was left over from Bush and still not corrected by Obama. Let's get Hillary into the White house the next time around....and that'll mean we'll have Bill there too....one of the few Presidents to get us "out of the deficit"...which may now be too late to correct thanks to putting Bush & Obama in power.

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maloney | Oct 20, 2010, 11:19 AM EDT

This must have been a most powerful smelling contest.

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irishtommy | Oct 19, 2010, 05:12 PM EDT

Absurd is right..what the hell has michelle Obama done for the United States or anywhere else for that matter. Race aside, just because she is the wife of the President (and not a populat fellow) she got voted in by whom ? Lady Gaga and Beyonce at least gave us music.

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jakeleg | Oct 18, 2010, 05:42 PM EDT

obsurd is right.............

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IrishEagle | Oct 18, 2010, 10:39 AM EDT

The most powerful woman in the world today is Angela Merkel, German Chancellor. Hillary may well be 2nd, but Merkel's Germany is calling the shots on all the fiscal policies that are dominating European politics today.

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rcrdskpr@aol.com | Oct 18, 2010, 10:20 AM EDT

racism has nothing to do with it. obama is an inexperienced, no talented, two bit, political opportunist from the sewers of chicago politics. look at his "work history" and training: "community organizer"?, trained at and attended socialist brainwashing seminars while at college, and in chicago. he appointed many of these people to posts. the man is a born again socialist masquerading in the guise of racism.

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IrishAndProud | Oct 18, 2010, 12:26 AM EDT

Man oh man did another poster nail it: about Obama, he/she said 'From messiah to pariah in 20 months.' Ain't that the truth. The whole country cannot stand that guy, anymore. What a mistake we made. Fortunately, massive corrective measures begin in earnest on November 2. BTW 123neill, you may also wish to see photographs of dead Jewish kids after the liberal-backed Hamas got through with them.

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McNabb1966 | Oct 17, 2010, 09:08 PM EDT

@123Oneill...Typical Lefty response. Everybody is a racist, right? But stop and give some ACTUAL thought and perhaps you can understand that it's racist to assume that the first black president should be placed in a PROTECTED CATEGORY that says he gets to be the ONLY U.S. President who may NOT be challenged or criticized by the people who elected him. Talk about the racism of low expectations! Racism is dreadful...which is why it's amazing that the Left insists on race-baiting at every opportunity. If Michelle Obama qualifies as a "heroine" simply because her husband gets criticized, then I'm sure you agree that Laura Bush was a heroine too, right? Or is intellectual honesty and common sense too dangerous to your fake pretense to "social justice?"

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123Oneill | Oct 17, 2010, 08:37 PM EDT

Well, this is me again. I read the comments below made by me. I want to make clearer what I meant by the word "abuse". Michelle has to hear the abuse heaped upon her husband no matter what he does. And, do you know why? I think I do. Whisper, so no one will hear, "Did you know there is a Black man in the White House?" Racism is dreadful. Look up Emmett Till and look at the pictures of what hatred did to that young boy of 14.

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123Oneill | Oct 17, 2010, 08:32 PM EDT

Sarah Palin???!!! Are you really taken in by her "I love freedom; I love America!" statements? If you put a man's face or a an old woman's face and body on her, no one, but no one would ever, ever put her in any column of outstanding women. At least Lady Gaga has spoken out and given money for a cause. Palin only takes. As to my opinion, I think Hilarly is the most powerful; I think Michelle is a heroine for many reasons, most of them have to do with the abuse of her husband day in and day out.

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chesapeake | Oct 17, 2010, 08:21 PM EDT

So many outstanding women werw passed over in a continuing effort by the media to promote the Obama family. She has done virtually nothing, while he has done too many things to lower the status of all Americans. By the time he is done we may never fully recover. The first lady is woefully inadequate when compared to those who came beforee her.

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willieboy | Oct 17, 2010, 07:17 PM EDT

WHO THE HELL READS OR GIVES A DAMN WHAT FORBES THINKS???

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mandokeith | Oct 17, 2010, 06:22 PM EDT

Well somebody at Forbes really has their head firmly stuck where the sun don't shine. Kinda like our friend Ciarrai. Well played Niall you hit the nail on the head. This is ludicrous, Lady GaGa? BEAM ME UP SCOTTY!

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antoman | Oct 17, 2010, 06:06 PM EDT

has*

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antoman | Oct 17, 2010, 06:05 PM EDT

If her next born came out with red curly hair,,the Irish here would know for sure he had Irish blood in him.

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