President Obama's Approval Ratings Up Post-SOTU (Photo Gallery)

President Barack Obama hugs Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., on the floor of the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., before delivering the State of the Union address, Jan. 24, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows President Barack Obama's approval numbers are on an upswing. For the first time in six months, the presidents' approval rating (48 percent) exceeds his disapproval rating (46 percent). The president's numbers have been on the rise since the economic picture started to brighten a bit late last year. In December, a Washington Post/ABC News poll found that while Obama still had a low approval rating on his handling of jobs and the economy, his overall approval rating numbers had improved with certain segments of the population, including young adults, seniors and independent voters. The narrowing of the approval and disapproval ratings can be seen in the latest Gallup Daily Poll, but Gallup still has the president's disapproval rating high at 49 percent, compared to a 43 percent approval.

State of the Union photo gallery after the jump.

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It's First Lady Michelle Obama's Birthday!

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama dance together during the Governors Ball in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 21, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)Get it, gurl. Go, Michelle. It's your birthday.

Michelle Obama Is So Over This Angry Black Woman Thing (Video)

Pushing back against what the White House has described as an over-dramatized portrayal in New York Times reporter Judi Kantor's new book "The Obamas," the First Lady told the CBS This Morning many have wrongly tried to paint her as an "Angry Black Woman."

In the book (which I'm patiently waiting to be delivered to my house from the publisher so I can see what all the hubbub is), Kantor highlights "incidents" where Michelle Obama appeared to be at loggerheads with her husband's staff. Mrs. Obama, who's dealt with lots of "she looks angry" and "she hates America" and "she has a fat ass" and "Marie Antoinette/Socialist Salad Eater" talk from right wingers, sat Kantor's book over in the "those things aren't me" corner, and poo-pooed on it to CBS's Gayle King.

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Republicans Fold On Payroll Tax Cut Fumble, Kick President's Dog On Way Down

Via White House by Pete SouzaCongress ends its session for the holidays on a whimper, not a bang as Congressional Republicans momentarily remembered that it really does make no sense to fight absolutely every stupid thing, even things they are for, simply because President Barack Obama might also like the thing. Congress unanimously passed the Payroll Tax Cut extension for two months so they can fight about it more in 2012.

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Obama Family Releases New Christmas Photo

President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and their daughters, Malia, left, and Sasha, right, sit for a family portrait in the Oval Office, Dec. 11, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)Aw. Some-adorable-body has braces! And Sasha is turning into such a little lady with her big dimples! And Malia looks so much like her dad (and like she could dunk on me)! And ... OMG ... I'm getting all verklempt! They grow up so fast! (White House Flickr)

Michelle Obama Went Incognito, Shopping at A Target In Virginia (Video)

The First Lady escaped the White House the other day and was caught out foraging in the wild! Michelle Obama, clad in sunglasses and a baseball cap managed to spend 30 minutes shopping in a Target store in Alexandria, Va., pushing her own cart, going unrecognized by everyone but the cashier. Of the series of photos of her checking out while being unmolested, my favorite is that of the chick on her cell phone in line in front of Ms. Obama who probably hates herself a little right now. That would totally be me. I get tunnel vision when I go shopping.

Unless that woman is the world's shortest, female Secret Service detail.

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Here's A Political Palette Cleansing Photo of The First Lady Playing Ping Pong

First Lady Michelle Obama plays table tennis with members of the band Big Time Rush in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House while taping a message for Nickelodeon's Worldwide Day of Play, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

You deserve it. Go ahead and look at it for a while. Think of simpler times. (H/T White House)

Michelle Obama Returns On the Cover of Essence This October

Click to enlarge.Essence Magazine has named First Lady Michelle Obama the most influential lady person for their October "Power" issue and you know what that means! More pretty pictures of the First Lady!

Oh yeah, sure. Essence is totally promising an awesome interview with her and a whole 2011 "Power" list of 28 also great women, including Shonda Rhimes and Oprah. And new Essence Editor-in-Chief Constance C.R. White calls the First Lady-In-Excellence "the quintessential ESSENCE woman; impressively defining herself on her own terms." But I just want to see the photo spread that I know must, must, MUST be accompanying the story. (Must!) That'll be my B-day present from Essence (since I'm an October baby). So I'll be checking my mailbox for my copy. (Essence)

The Snob Talks J. Lo Divorce, First Lady and Shake Shack on NPR's Tell Me More

First Lady Michelle Obama greets guests in the East Room of the White House following an announcement about commitments from major food retailers to provide access to healthy, affordable food to millions of people in underserved communities across the country, July 20, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)Had a fun time on Tell Me More with Michel Martin Wednesday where I was part of the Beauty Shop roundtable. I somehow managed to not make my head explode as I talked about criticism of the First Lady, Michelle Obama -- an athletic, fit woman -- for eating a high calorie meal for the fun of it. Some people were arguing that this was some kind of hypocrisy, even though her campaign for exercise and healthy eating among our nation's children was never about starving yourself or depriving yourself of the joy of food, just making healthier choices more often than "Shake Shack" based choices. Miracle my head didn't explode. Amazing really. Also on the show, professor and author Duchess Harris, Galina Espinoza of Latina Magazine and journalist Connie Schultz.

Listen to the audio after the link.

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