COVER: “The Real Michelle Obama” (p. 26). Senior White House Correspondent Richard Wolffe profiles Michelle Obama, who as an aspiring First Lady is learning to cope with the sometimes uncomfortable scrutiny that comes with the role. As a political spouse, the ambitious, Harvard-educated lawyer isn’t the traditional booster who sticks to a script. Nor is she a surrogate campaign manager, ordering the staff around and micromanaging the candidate’s every move. Still new enough to politics that she doesn’t yet belabor her every word, Michelle’s sharp humor poking fun at her husband can sometimes fall flat. This is especially true when people see the punch lines in print, where her comments can be read as disrespectful. Although she realizes not everyone finds her jokes funny, she doesn’t seem all that interested in curbing her tongue. During an interview with Wolffe, she says, “Somehow I’ve been caricatured as this emasculating wife. Barack and I laugh about that. It’s just sort of, like, do you think anyone could emasculate Barack Obama? Really now.”

Interview: “I Can Only Be Who I Can Be”

            “A Real Wife, in a Real Marriage” (p. 35). Associate Editor Raina Kelley writes that while Michelle Obama defies stereotypes, she also can’t escape them. “She is a strong, smart black woman who does not hesitate to speak her mind,” Kelley writes. “But as her husband rises from underdog to front runner, and Michelle becomes more visible and vocal in the campaign, those ‘feisty dame’ stereotypes that had been her strengths might be turning around to bite her. Critics are now taking her to task for being emasculating, sarcastic and bossy—characteristics that are just on the other side of the looking glass from strong, smart, black and female.” But which stereotype will stick?

POLITICS: “How Deep in the Hearts of Texas?” (p. 38).  Miami Bureau Chief Arian Campo-Flores writes that Hillary Clinton’s chances may come down to the Latino vote during the March 4 contests in Texas and Ohio. “The border area [in Texas] holds the most promise for her, with its rich reservoir of Latino voters—a group that’s been a base of support,” writes Campo-Flores. “They equate the Clintons with good economic times, the fight for universal health care and cabinet appointments for Tejanos. At the rally in Robstown, one placard read: HILLARY FIRST LATINA PRESIDENT.”

JONATHAN ALTER: “Scooping Out Obama vs. McCain” (p. 39). Senior Editor and Columnist Jonathan Alter writes that although the party nominations have not been decided, the debate featuring Barack Obama and John McCain has already begun. “The good news is that a contest between them has the potential to be spirited without being ugly. It may even focus on issues that actually matter to Americans. Imagine that! Instead of an examination of Al Gore’s personality traits (2000) or a refighting of Vietnam (2004), we may get a real debate about war and peace, taxes and spending, duty and hope.”

TERROR: “The Fox Is Hunted Down” (p. 40). Jerusalem Bureau Chief Kevin Peraino reports that the assassination of Hizbullah’s Imad Mugniyah, who was responsible for some of the deadliest attacks on Americans on record, could carry very real consequences for stability in the region. Regardless of who was responsible, Hizbullah is almost certain to strike Israel or its interests abroad. At Mugniyah’s funeral in Beirut last Thursday, Hizbullah’s leader-in-hiding, Hassan Nasrallah, appeared via video and declared: “Zionists, if you want an open war, let it be an open war anywhere.” Israel has put its Air Force and Navy on alert and warned its diplomats abroad. “Retaliation is inevitable,” says a well-placed Israeli source—“a big one.”

INTERNATIONAL: “Russia’s Mighty Mouse” (p. 43). Moscow Bureau Chief Owen Matthews reports that most observers expect Vladimir Putin’s handpicked successor Dmitry Medvedev to do his former boss’s bidding: he’s already promised to appoint Putin as prime minister, and to keep in place “the efficient team that the incumbent president has assembled.” And most Russians don’t seem to mind—Putin’s approval ratings top 76 percent—and Medvedev is unlikely to make any dramatic changes at first. But while much in their shared history has pushed the two men together, a closer look at the origins of their friendship reveals much that could eventually drive them apart.

CULTURE: “Campus Sexperts: (p. 46) Assistant Editor Jennie Yabroff reports that despite the proliferation of specialty blogs such as Sex and the Ivy, student-paper sex columns and student-run sex magazines like Harvard’s H Bomb, Yale’s SWAY and Boston University’s Boink, college students are actually having less sex. Statistics show that when it comes to actual sexual activity, coeds are more likely to be virgins entering college, and may be having slightly less sex than in previous years.

SHARON BEGLEY: “Our Imaginary, Hotter Selves” (p. 49). Senior Editor Sharon Begley reports on how avatars, or online personas for sites such as Second Life, can impact real life. A recent study conducted by Jeremy Bailenson and Nick Yee of Stanford University found that people who used attractive avatars had more self-confidence and behaved accordingly in the digital world. After online sessions, they also found that the boost in confidence carried over into real life.

THE ARTS: “Pop Goes The Easel” (p. 52). Senior Editor Cathleen McGuigan profiles Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, who uses gunpowder as his medium and will be staging both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. Cai uses gunpowder as the primary material in his art, employing it in a variety of ways: in public art spectacles of explosions and smoky clouds, or burned directly onto paper to make remarkably elegant works that can hang on a wall.

MOVIES: “An Oscar for the Ages” (p. 56). Senior Editor David Ansen reviews the new book on the historic, 1967 best-picture race, “Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood,” by Mark Harris. Harris doesn’t just rely on the copious books about this period, from John Gregory Dunne’s account of Twentieth Century Fox’s downfall, “The Studio,” to Sidney Poitier’s two autobiographies. He’s interviewed almost all the participants, and the fresh details he’s uncovered make old stories about that important best-picture face-off seem new.

“What Becomes A Legend Most?” (p. 57). Associate Editor Joshua Alston profiles Ruby Dee who at 83 just won her first Academy Award nomination for her performance in “American Gangster.” Her Academy Award nod for best supporting actress makes her the oldest nominee this year and the second oldest nominee in history (following “Titanic’s” Gloria Stuart). If she wins the Oscar, she’ll be the oldest actor to win in any major category.

TIP SHEET: “Get Your Sperm Moving” (p. 59). Chicago Correspondent Karen Springen reports on male infertility and the recent advances that have dramatically improved experts’ understanding of diagnosing, treating and preventing the condition. Tips on preventing infertility include staying fit, increasing sexual activity, avoiding certain prescription medications and seeing a urologist.