Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Monday, Aug. 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

By CHRISTOPHER WILLS
Associated Press Writer

Michelle Obama sought to reassure voters Monday that despite her husband Barack’s exotic name and background, he shares their bedrock values and belief in the American dream.

“Barack and I set out to build lives guided by these values, and pass them on to the next generation,” she said in excerpts released in advance of her appearance at the Democratic National Convention. Her address was the first big step in a weeklong effort to reassure dubious voters that the party’s presidential nominee understands their problems and beliefs.

They know the public Barack Obama, the guy on magazine covers and nightly newscasts. His wife hoped to reassure voters that he’s a lot like they are, despite all the attention given to his African father, his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia and his over-the-top minister.

Obama has repeatedly faced questions about whether he’s a “real” American.

E-mails and videos circulating on the Internet attacked him for attending a church that promoted black culture, for not wearing a flag pin on his lapel, for not putting his hand over his heart during the national anthem. They suggested — falsely — that he was secretly Muslim.

And in an age when candidates’ spouses face scrutiny, too, Michelle Obama also hoped to send the message that she is a true believer in American values.

Critics have questioned her patriotism since early this year, when she said the response to her husband’s campaign had made her proud of America for the first time in her adult life. She later said she meant pride in the political process, not in the country in general.

Michelle Obama’s job was to show voters they have nothing to fear.

She spoke repeatedly about her two daughters, Malia and Sasha, and linked them to Barack Obama’s desire to be president.

“We want our children — and all children in this nation — to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them,” she said.

Since Barack Obama launched his campaign more than 18 months ago, his wife has helped humanize him.

She has reminded voters that he can be sloppy. She scolds him for leaving a clogged toilet for her to handle. The couple frequently tell people that her words of inspiration before his big 2004 convention speech were, “Just don’t screw it up, buddy.”

She also talks about Barack Obama being raised by a single mother who sometimes struggled to make ends meet and she describes their own challenges of juggling the demands of work and children.

She was being introduced by her brother, Craig Robinson, the head basketball coach at Oregon State University.

And before her appearance, the audience was to view “South Side Girl,” a biographical film narrated by her mother.

After the speech, Barack Obama planned to appear via satellite.

Michelle Obama grew up in Chicago, where her father, Fraser Robinson, was a Democratic precinct captain who worked swing shifts at the water plant despite suffering from multiple sclerosis. His wife Marian raised the kids in a one-bedroom apartment on the top floor of her aunt’s house, where Michelle and Craig slept in the living room, converted into two tiny bedrooms and a study area.

Despite the hardships, they managed to send both children to Ivy League schools.