Michelle Obama Shops At Target

UPDATE: More details on First Lady's visit is in this post
First Lady Obama was photographed today shopping at a Target store in Alexandria, Virginia. The shots were taken by AP photographer Charles Dharapak, who regularly covers the White House. Mrs. Obama, "incognito" in sunglasses and a baseball cap with a Nike logo, was snapped standing in the checkout line with an aide, as well as pushing a grocery cart while carrying plastic Target bags.

Secret Service agents scoped out the Target store, located on Rt. 1 about 20 minutes from the White House, about a half hour ahead of Mrs. Obama's visit, reported AP. The First Lady's Director of Communications, Kristina Schake, declined to confirm if photographer Dharapak had been tipped off about Mrs. Obama's citizen outing, which lasted between 30-40 minutes as she browsed the aisles.

"It is not uncommon for the First Lady to slip out to run an errand, eat at a local restaurant or otherwise enjoy the city outside the White House gates," Schake told CBS News.

One of Mrs. Obama's more notable "slip outs" was to DC's BLT Steak restaurant in April, when she ran into hockey dynamo Alex Ovechkin. The puckish superstar tweeted a photo of himself with his arm around the First Lady. (Above: Mrs. Obama checking out)

Target also tweeted Mrs. Obama's visit to their store.

"First Lady Michelle Obama may be incognito but there is no denying those signature @Target red carts!" was tweeted from the @Bullseyeview account. @Target retweeted it.

Mrs. Obama has a historic public private partnership for the Let's Move! campaign with Walmart, Target's biggest competitor. Walmart has pledged to trim fat, sugar, and salt from its private label food products, as well as build markets in "food deserts." Target has made no such commitment.

One of the photos of Mrs. Obama at Target wound up above the banner on Drudge Report for much of the afternoon, with the odd headline "A Woman's World." The Target shopping shots are in contrast to Dharapak's photos of Mrs. Obama snapped on Monday at the White House, when she made an announcement about womens' STEM career issues. (Above, Mrs. Obama entering the East Room for her announcement)

*Updated

*Photos by Charles Dharapak/AP

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President Obama's Statement On The End Of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Campaign 2012 staff take to social media to remind supporters of President's gay rights record...
The White House issued a statement from President Obama today, as the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law expired, and members of the military were released from required silence about their sexual orientation. 2012 Campaign staffers used the President's efforts for repeal as one more tool to woo supporters, sending e-mails and taking to Twitter to highlight the President's record of achievements for the LGBT community. Above: A screen shot from @BarackObama's Twitter account. The President has hosted three such LGBT receptions; his first reception in 2009 marked the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York, and his most recent reception was in June.

Despite much work on LGBT issues, the President has come under intense fire from the activist community for not moving faster to keep 2008 Campaign promises. The LGBT community is a crucial voting and fundraising base for the 2012 election. The President's Social Secretary, Jeremy Bernard, is openly gay, and was a major fundraiser in California for the 2008 campaign. First Lady Obama's Director of Communications, Kristina Schake, also has deep ties to the LGBT community; before joining the East Wing, she crafted the campaign in California to repeal the law against gay marriage.

The President's DADT statement:

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
_____________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 20, 2011

Statement by the President
on the Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Today, the discriminatory law known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is finally and formally repealed. As of today, patriotic Americans in uniform will no longer have to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love. As of today, our armed forces will no longer lose the extraordinary skills and combat experience of so many gay and lesbian service members. And today, as Commander in Chief, I want those who were discharged under this law to know that your country deeply values your service.

I was proud to sign the Repeal Act into law last December because I knew that it would enhance our national security, increase our military readiness, and bring us closer to the principles of equality and fairness that define us as Americans. Today’s achievement is a tribute to all the patriots who fought and marched for change; to Members of Congress, from both parties, who voted for repeal; to our civilian and military leaders who ensured a smooth transition; and to the professionalism of our men and women in uniform who showed that they were ready to move forward together, as one team, to meet the missions we ask of them.

For more than two centuries, we have worked to extend America’s promise to all our citizens. Our armed forces have been both a mirror and a catalyst of that progress, and our troops, including gays and lesbians, have given their lives to defend the freedoms and liberties that we cherish as Americans. Today, every American can be proud that we have taken another great step toward keeping our military the finest in the world and toward fulfilling our nation’s founding ideals.

###

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"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Ends: First Lady Will Welcome Gay Military Families To Joining Forces

Last April at the White House, openly gay and lesbian members of the military weren't included in launch festivities...
UPDATE: President's statement on the repeal of DADT
Families that have openly gay or lesbian military service members will now be welcome at events for First Lady Obama and Dr. Jill Biden's Joining Forces campaign, says Mrs. Obama's Communications Director, Kristina Schake. That's because "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT), repealed nine months ago by Congress, officially expires today. The First and Second Ladies' campaign supports and celebrates military families as "the force behind the force." (Above: Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden in a promo photo for the campaign)

“After the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell takes effect, Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden look forward to including openly gay and lesbian service members in events to recognize their service to the nation, as well as the service of their families,” Schake said in a statement to The Advocate.

Last April, DADT was still the law of the land, so openly gay and lesbian service members and their advocacy groups were not allowed to attend the big White House launch event for the Joining Forces campaign, held in the East Room, and attended by President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, as well as top military brass. Created almost eighteen years ago during the Clinton presidency, DADT prevented members of the military from publicly revealing their sexual orientation.

Today, for the first time in military history, service men and women can reveal their sexual orientation without fear of reprisal. The "no openly gay" White House event policy was in effect exclusively for military-related events: Since taking office, President Obama has hosted three different receptions to celebrate LGBT Pride Month. There are also many openly gay and lesbian staff who work at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Perhaps the most high profile is Jeremy Bernard, the first openly gay Social Secretary in White House history. Bernard is also the first male Social Secretary.

"As a country, we don’t always see their families, our heroes on the home front,” Mrs. Obama said when launching Joining Forces. Because of DADT, the First Lady's observation was doubly true for the families of gay and lesbian members of the armed forces. The invisibility ends today.

Find out more about the campaign at JoiningForces.gov.

*Photo by Soldiers Angels

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