I am posting my interview with Michelle Obama also available at Military.com.

Q. In recent history, the military vote has been generally Republican. Is this because of spin or substance, and what can the Democrats do to change the trend?

The broken politics in Washington have left our troops and their families without many of the resources that they deserve. People are tired of it. Too many military families feel as though they’re struggling alone. I think that what our servicemen and women and their families are asking for is for a leader who understands their sacrifices and will make it a priority to honor America’s sacred trust with our troops.

That’s the idea at the core of Barack’s campaign—that we’re all in this together. That when our nation goes to war, our entire nation is at war—not just the military.

People in the armed forces aren’t asking for much. They’re just asking for a country that understands the burden on their families and the many challenges that they face as part of their extraordinary commitment to the nation.

I think as people become acquainted with Barack, they see how much he cares about military families, and how deep his commitment is to serving them better. We now have a chance to elect a leader who is truly committed to upholding the pact that we’ve made with our troops—to look out for their families while they’re overseas looking out for us.

Q. Sacrifice is a big theme for military families. As a working mother, what sort of sacrifices have you had to make for your children, or your husband? What sacrifices has he had to make for you?

I do not want to compare my experience to the extraordinary sacrifices our military families make. As every working mother understands, there will always be hard choices that must be made to keep our families happy and whole. But I don’t see these choices as sacrifices. I’m happy to make them. Someone has to be focusing on the kids, making them feel safe and grounded, and that’s me. And I love that job.

Everything that Barack and I do, all the choices we make, are for the benefit of our two little girls. Barack spends the majority of his time away from his family, on the road, because he is determined to change Washington, so that instead of just talking about family values, we actually implement policies that value families.

He is working every day so that our children—and all of our country’s children—will grow up healthy and safe, in a world where they can pursue their dreams without anything standing in their way.

Q. Military moms certainly know what it’s like to juggle family and career under stress, how have you managed to balance career and family?

Like the women I’ve met across the country, I play many different roles. I’m a wife, a working woman, a daughter, a sister, and a best friend. But most importantly, I’m a mom. No matter where I am—at work, on the campaign trail, you name it—my girls are always on my mind. Finding a balance between all of these roles is something that I’ve dealt with throughout my marriage. Barack and I know that we’re lucky to have access to the resources we need to hold it together during all of this wonderful chaos. And Barack and I know that we’re particularly lucky to have the greatest resource anyone could have—my mother, who lives nearby and stays with the girls when I’m on the road for my husband. But we know that many families across America aren’t that lucky. That’s why as president, Barack will make supporting families a priority.

Q. You have mentioned before “I think that the American people… are ready to have somebody that they can believe in and that they can connect to.” How do you feel military families will connect to you and your husband? I think that military families will connect to the genuine respect and concern that Barack and I have for our servicemen and women and their families. If Barack has the honor of serving as our next President of the United States, he is committed to fighting for military families. That commitment is the key to establishing a real trust and partnership between the people in the military and the country that they serve every day.

As his First Lady, I will continue to hold the roundtable discussions with military spouses that I’ve been having during the campaign. Because the Commander-in-Chief doesn’t just need to know how to lead the military—he also needs to understand what war does to military families.

Q. What specific initiatives would an Obama presidency undertake for the benefit of military families?

Barack understands that when our military goes to war, their families go with them. As president, he will improve how our government supports military families. Barack’s plan for military families emphasizes predictable deployments, so units have time to retrain and re-equip—and families have time to reconnect. Predictable deployments create healthier families, healthier troops, and a healthier military. And Barack will expand the Family and Medial Leave Act so it covers reserve families, so when a reservist is called up, the spouse can take time off work to get their family’s affairs in order. He’ll also expand the Vet Centers that provide critical services like counseling, mental health care, and employment assistant. And he’ll create a 21st century VA that offers world-class care—and rejects the idea that we should only treat combat injuries, while passing on those sustained in training or on the dock of an aircraft carrier, for example.

And when our loved ones return home, Barack’s plan will offer them the same opportunity that his grandfather had under the GI Bill—the guarantee of a real chance to afford a college education. Barack was a strong supporter of Senator Jim Webb’s 21st Century GI Bill, which not only covers tuition for service members, but also allows them to transfer their education benefits to their spouses or children.

Q. What would you say to convince military moms to vote Obama?

One of the things I’ve been doing, which I’ve found so important during the course of this campaign, is having conversations with military spouses, primarily women—sharing our stories and our concerns. And what I’ve been hearing again and again is, while their loved ones are deployed, these women are fighting their own battles at home. They’re doing their best to hold it together. And they feel like they’re doing it all alone. But the truth is, we’re all in this together. Barack believes that deeply. He also understands that our sacred trust with our military families does not end with they leave combat. We owe it to our service members to give them the support they need when they come home. Our military families shouldn’t have to carry the burdens of war alone. As president, he will invest in services that support them.

Q. What would you say to those critics who say opposition to the war is opposition to the military?

I absolutely disagree. Barack Obama is not against all wars. He is against wars that are misconceived and do not take into account the sacrifices the military makes during times of war. The Iraq war never should have been authorized and never should have been waged. We’ve been through six years of war that have stretched and strained our military and their families, and we will have spent trillions of dollars in the process. But opposing the war in no way means opposing the brave men and women who are fighting the war. We can support them strongly, and need to as we refocus on the central front in the war on terror which is and has always been Afghanistan. We can move forward with a new plan that will make our country and the world a safer place.

Q. The military lifestyle is really designed around a previous era, in which women usually stayed home with the kids, but economic necessity and social mores have changed. How can the military do a better job of helping modern families?

Something that I think those outside of the military sometimes don’t realize is that many military families are struggling with the same economic downturn that everybody else is struggling with—but they also have a whole set of additional challenges.

We all need to find ways to do more to support these families. It starts with developing jobs, making housing affordable and making childcare more accessible to families on a tight budget.

Q. Do you think this war has brought more attention to military families and their stresses?

Absolutely. It has drawn much-needed attention to the sacrifices that our servicemen and women and their families make in order to serve our country.

Q. You’ve lost your ability to be anonymous rather quickly, what are the pros and cons of being a sudden celebrity?

I’m grateful for the attention, because it lets me be a stronger voice for working women and military families. I can bring the issues that are important to them to the forefront of a national political discussion. It’s a great gift.

Q. What is the hardest thing you have to do as a mother, especially on the campaign trial?

My staff has been excellent about honoring my commitment to my girls. Still, spending time out on the road instead of at home with them is the hardest thing about campaigning. Whether I’m in Chicago or on the road, they’re always on my mind, from the moment I wake up in the morning until right before I fall asleep at night.

Q. What does your husband depend on you for?

Holding everything together and keeping our home in order while he’s away. We’re each other’s best friends and closest advisors.

Q. How are the children taking all the changes, and do you try insulate them?

Barack and I are very proud of the way the girls have handled themselves during this campaign. Luckily, they’re still at an age where they’re not that concerned with what’s happening with the campaign. When they come home in the afternoons, they don’t want to know how my day went—it’s more like, “Let me tell you what happened at camp today.” There are these two wonderful little people who run around our house and keep us grounded.

We protect them the best as we can. We’re figuring it out. We’ve gotten some great advice from people like Hillary Clinton and Tipper Gore, who have been in this situation before and handled it wonderfully.

Q. What is your favorite thing about your husband?

There really isn’t just one thing. Barack is a wonderful partner, husband and father.

Q. What is the thing you wish the media would stop asking and what do you wish the media would focus on instead?

I wish that the media wouldn’t get distracted by the petty campaign back-and-forth and negative attacks. I’d rather they pay more attention to the issues that matter most to hard-working Americans, like skyrocketing gas and food prices, access to quality and affordable health care, bringing the war in Iraq to a responsible end, creating great schools, and policies that help parents figure out the work/life balance.

Q. In an Obama Presidency, what’s the one food or drink you make sure is well stocked at the White House, for yourself and your family.

French fries – they’re my ultimate weakness!