US First Lady Michelle Obama prepared divorce papers to separate from Barack Obama in 2000 following his disastrous attempt to win a House seat in Chicago, according to a new book.
When he lost miserably, the future First Lady was supposedly disgusted that her husband had ignored her warnings not to take on the four- term incumbent Bobby Rush. Their marriage, in its eighth year at the time, was ‘ on the rocks’ with Obama so depressed, some of his friends feared he was suicidal.
The claims mark the second time the Obamas have faced allegations they were on the verge of divorce after reports in 2010 suggested they were having difficulties. The couple has admitted that in the past, they did go through a rough patch but that they patched things up and grew closer together.
The Obamas have now been married for 21 years and have two children, Malia, 13, and Sasha, nine.
In The Amateur , author Edward Klein’s unauthorised account of Obama’s life and first term in office, he claims that Obama was overambitious in his attempt to take on House member Rush for the black South Side seat in Chicago.
In a crushing blow, he lost by two votes to one prompting claims from Rush that he was an ‘ educated fool’. Klein writes: “ After Obama’s humiliating defeat he was broke and deeply in debt and it looked as though he might be finished in public life. During the dark days that followed his defeat, he turned to Michelle for comfort. But she was in no mood to offer him sympathy.
“ After all he had refused to listen to her warnings about taking on the formidable Rush. He had put his family in a precarious financial position. And he had dashed Michelle’s hopes of creating a stable and secure future. As a result their marriage was on the rocks, and Obama confided to friends that he and Michelle were talking about divorce.
‘ Michelle actually had divorce papers drawn up’, one of her friends told me’.” In desperation, Obama begged friends to help him open an office to stay in politics — but did not tell his wife for fear of her wrath if she found out.
The couple appeared to have worked out their differences. Obama ran for a Senate seat in Illinois and won it, assuming office in 2005 and restoring his wife’s faith in him.