Retraction awaited

National Review Online --

The Obama Diet — Not Just Arugula [Lisa Schiffren]

The "people's ticket" ordered a little snack from room service at the Waldorf, as the N.Y. Post's page Six reports:

[NY Post] "While he was at a meeting at the Waldorf-Astoria at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Michelle Obama called room service and ordered lobster hors d'oeuvres, two whole steamed lobsters, Iranian caviar and champagne, a tipster told Page Six."

I'd guess the bill for that snack came in at around $350. Iranian caviar ain't cheap — even if you negotiate for it yourself. What the hell . . . Your campaign contributions (soon to be your tax dollars) at work.

Does anyone else remember Gerald Ford toasting his own English Muffins in the family quarters of the White House? Michelle's style is a little more Leona Helmsley, who's ad campaign featured a picture of herself in one of her hotels, with the slogan, "a hotel fit for a Queen." Can you do that at the White House?

The story smelled wrong from the start. For one thing, it wouldn't seem to be in the Waldorf-Astoria's interest for its guests to know that their food orders wind up in the tabloids. But that's the least of the problems --

[NY Post] THE source who told us last week about Michelle Obama getting lobster and caviar delivered to her room at the Waldorf-Astoria must have been under the influence of a mind-altering drug. She was not even staying at the Waldorf. We regret the mistake, and our former source is going to regret it, too. Bread and water would be too good for such disinformation.

Schiffren has not addressed the false story, or her premises based on it, which are also by definition false. Incidentally, Michelle's alleged room service bill wouldn't even cover the loose change from Sarah Palin's shopping.