Michelle Obama Oscar Debate: Should First Lady Be Announcing Winners?

When Michelle Obama presented the 2013 Oscar for “Best Picture” to Argo, she sparked a new debate about the role of the First Lady of the United States. Looking radiant in her new bangs and silver Naeem Khan gown, she made the surprise appearance by video screen, having just attended the National Governors Association (NGA) dinner at the White House.

For many, the stylish FLOTUS brought a much-needed touch of class to an occasion where tacky Seth MacFarlane sang about boobs, “Best Actress” Jennifer Lawrence tripped on her dress, and even the normally serene Meryl Streep stumbled on her own hem. It must have been a heck of a pre-party.

But classy Michelle Obama wore her clothes, instead of having them wear her. Alex Apatoff for People noted that she didn’t get dressed just for the Oscars. The NGA dinner was also a formal event that rated the glittering gown matched with Sultra Silver of Fragments jewelry.

However, not everyone was happy with the First Lady’s appearance. Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin asked her followers to retweet: “Forget separation of church and state — we need a separation of Hollywood and state.”

To those who pointed out that former President Ronald Reagan also appeared at the Oscars, Malkin later added a more defensive tweet: “Reagan was former president of the Screen Actors Guild.” Uh, yeah. Exactly. From president of Hollywood to president of the United States…you can’t get less “separation of Hollywood and state” than that.

Kevin Cirilli at Politico noted that several of this year’s award-nominated films had a strong political theme.Argo, the winner, told how Hollywood and the CIA worked together to rescue American hostages trapped in Iran during the Jimmy Carter-era crisis. It was a story that the Academy couldn’t resist.

What do you think? Was Michelle Obama’s appearance a delightful surprise — if only because she refrained from bursting into song and pretending it was the Tonys? Or was it inappropriate for a sitting FLOTUS to present an Academy Award?