奧巴馬伕婦被爆婚姻破裂 米歇爾50大壽蒙陰影大綱

A LEADing American divorce mediator will visit Washington this week to offer members of Congress advice on ending the "tiresome bickering" between Republicans and Democrats.

If US tabloids are to be believed, she may need to visit the White House first.

Michelle Obama's extended absence from Washington and a flurry of renewed speculation about the state of the first couple's marriage are threatening to overshadow her 50th birthday party at the White House on Saturday.

Not for the first time in their 22-year marriage the Obamas are approaching what should be a happy family milestone under a cloud of rampant tabloid innuendo, summed up by a National Enquirer headline: "World exclusive: Obama marriage explodes!".

The Enquirer has earned a measure of respectability in Washington with its reporting of political scandals - most notably its exposure of the double life of John Edwards, a former senator and once a Democratic presidential contender.

Yet its so-called bombshell Obama report was based on nothing more substantial than the vague allegations of an unnamed "Oval Office insider" who claimed the first couple "are now sleeping in separate White House bedrooms" - tame stuff compared with the adventures of the president's French counterpart Francois Hollande.

In one sense the report was partly right: Barack Obama returned to Washington from his Christmas break in Hawaii last week while his wife remained in Maui to spend more time with friends, reportedly at a holiday home owned by the media mogul Oprah Winfrey.

Before the Enquirer could detonate another bombshell, a White House spokesman offered a different explanation for Michelle's solo break: it was a birthday present from her husband.

"If you have kids, you know that telling your spouse that they can go spend a week away from home is actually a big present," said Jay Carney, the White House press secretary.

Mr Obama acknowledged long ago that his marriage to Michelle had had ups and downs as they coped with the pressures of dual careers - she was formerly a lawyer and a hospital administrator - and the arrival of their two daughters, Sasha and Malia.

The latest tabloid report appears to have been provoked by the notorious incident at Nelson Mandela's memorial service when Mr Obama and David Cameron posed for a selfie with Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the prime minister of Denmark - or as the National Enquirer described her, "a leggy blonde foreign leader".

Despite the speculation, the Obamas have succeeded in presenting a united front and, as their daughters have grown, many of their admirers have come to regard them as an inspirational family.

The White House rarely comments on the first couple's private life, and there was no official confirmation last week of where Michelle was staying in Hawaii, or when she intended to return.

Yet the security umbrella that surrounds the couple descended on the Winfrey estate where The Daily Caller, a Washington news website, claimed Michelle was staying with a small group of female friends including Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House adviser, and Gayle King, a television presenter and close friend of Winfrey.

Oprah once said of her Hawaii home that she had "never encountered anyone who doesn't love it ... we sip drinks inspired by whatever is fresh and delicious - mango, guava, pineapple, cucumber, basil. We sometimes ride horses to the top (of the mountain) to watch the moon rise over the ridge".

It sounded like a blissful escape for a hardworking first lady who has made no secret of her distaste for life under the microscope.

She may have a rough return to the political world this week, with her husband's enemies sure to seize on any hint of excessive birthday party consumption as evidence of presidential extravagance.

The need to demonstrate frugality may have been the reason for the letters "EBYC" at the end of the invitation: guests have been advised to "eat before you come" to the party, which merely promises "snacks & sips & dancing & dessert".

The lack of dinner has divided social commentators. "I don't think it's rude, but I do think it's a little ... different than what people are used to," said Lizzie Post, a writer on etiquette.

Andre Wells, a party planner, disagreed. "It seems like a very casual party, and she's turning 50," he said. "The older you get, I feel like you can say what you want."

Either way, the first lady will be aware her every public move will be watched for signs of marital discord.

The betting in Washington is that the Obamas will display nothing of the sort, and that Michelle's 50th birthday will be marked with plenty of love and laughter.據《澳洲人報》1月12日報道，美國一八卦小報近日扔出“重磅炸彈”，稱“第一夫婦”的婚姻破裂，這無疑會給“第一夫人”米歇爾即將到來的50大壽蒙上陰影。

美國《國民問詢報》(National Enquirer)日前刊出一篇題爲《全球獨家：奧巴馬婚姻破裂！》的文章，無異於是晴天霹靂。不過這枚“重磅炸彈”其實並沒有多少真憑實據，僅援引一位匿名的“白宮知情人士”的話說，奧巴馬伕婦“已經分居，住在白宮不同的臥室”。

《國民問詢報》的質疑有一定的合理性，奧巴馬在結束聖誕假期後帶着兩個女兒從夏威夷返回華盛頓，卻將米歇爾單獨留在毛伊島。據毛伊島當地媒體披露，米歇爾正在脫口秀天后奧普拉•溫弗瑞的豪宅裏和朋友“逍遙快活”。不過白宮發言人卡尼解釋道，讓米歇爾單獨留在下是總統送給她的生日禮物。

米歇爾和奧巴馬結婚22年，將於本月18日在白宮迎來慶祝50歲生日。《國民問詢報》的這篇報道想必會給她的生日聚會蒙上陰影。

其實在很久以前，奧巴馬就坦言他和米歇爾的婚姻有起伏。最近鬧得沸沸揚揚的“自拍事件”很可能起到了推波助瀾的作用，上個月，在南非前總統曼德拉的追悼會上，奧巴馬與英國首相卡梅倫、丹麥女首相施密特旁若無人地“玩自拍”。米歇爾當時似乎很不悅，後來更是特意坐到奧巴馬和施密特中間，將兩人隔離開來。有白宮知情人士透露，奧巴馬伕婦在返回白宮後爆發了迄今爲止最激烈的爭吵。