'First Lady' Rhee meets press
Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee tried out her prospective new role as mayor's wife Monday at the Sacramento Press Club, drawing some laughs as she described how she briefly considered trying to clean up her act to serve as a political spouse.
"I am known in D.C. as being very hard core, very tough," she said," according to a local television news clip. "People have called me the terminator, the hammer, the dragon lady. Those things might be OK for my day job, but they are certainly not the kinds of adjectives you would want to use to describe the mayor's wife."
She said she spoke with her finance, Mayor Kevin Johnson, about toning it down. His response, according to Rhee: "Honey, just be you. You're not going to be able to hide very long who you are. Let's not build false hope and expectations."
So, Rhee offered a brief description: "I am someone who does not mince words. I am someone who does not spare feelings. And I am someone who does not pull punches when it comes to doing what is right for kids."
Rhee also put in a pitch for the importance of mayoral control of local school systems, something that is barred by California law. "Here in