There is a certain amount of caution I approach stories like this with.

I understand quite well that politicians (or their wives) make speeches and utilize many literary devices, one of which is Hyperbole.  Hyperbole is essentially intentional exaggeration which is used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, and is not meant to be taken literally.

So when Michelle Obama made her comment below I am willing to look at it in fair evaluation and determine if they were meant to be taken literally, or as hyperbole (source: Sister Toldjah):

“What we have learned over this year is that hope is making a comeback. It is making a comeback. And let me tell you something — for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. And I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment. I’ve seen people who are hungry to be unified around some basic common issues, and it’s made me proud.”

Bryan at Hot Air responds thus:

Nothing America has done in Michelle Obama’s adult life, which at 44 goes back 26 years to 119822, has made her proud of her country? Nothing? Not winning the Cold War? Not our regular and orderly  transitions of power based on the rule of Law? Not the fact that we feed and defend the world, not that we lead in science and technology research, not that we elected the first black president in 1992…nothing? Not the fact that she and her husband were able to go to Ivy  League schools before embarking on extremely lucrative careers? Not the fact that we help out in disasters wherever they strike in the world? Nothing has made  Michelle Obama proud of her country in her entire adult life?

John Podhoretz continues: