President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were the stars of a fundraiser for the Clinton Global Initiative in Manhattan last night, and in his speech introducing his wife, Obama gushed with pride. "While I get plenty of good advice from a lot of people during the course of the day, at the end of each day, it is Michelle — her moral voice, her moral center — that cuts through all the noise in Washington and reminds me of why I’m there in the first place," Obama told the audience of dignitaries and celebrities. Then he thanked Bill Clinton for somehow surviving what with Hillary being gone all the time.

“It’s a pleasure to be back today not only because of my highest regard for President Clinton personally, not just because of my gratitude to him for putting up with long hours away from our Secretary of State," Obama said, looking over at Clinton. Politico reports that "amid sustained laughter and applause from the crowd," Clinton replied, "Thank you for being grateful, though." Obama continued, "He knows what it’s like to be married to somebody who’s smarter, somebody who’s better looking, somebody who’s just all around a little more impressive than you are."

Like Laura Bush before her, Michelle Obama used her keynote speaker slot at the CGI event to call attention to a new initiative, in this case a push to help veterans find jobs. The first lady called upon non-profit organizations to hire American military veterans and their spouses, and said, "Hiring America’s vets and military spouses isn’t just about helping them. It’s about how they can help you... I’ll work to spark not just a national conversation, but national action to give our vets and military spouses the opportunities they deserve."

Today Michelle Obama will travel to the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture, where she'll join third graders from Port Chester’s John F. Kennedy Magnet School. The group will participate in the "On the Farm at Stone Barns" program, harvesting vegetables and collecting eggs from free-range hens, then using the ingredients to make their own seasonal lunch in the Blue Hill kitchen. (Last year the Obamas had a "date night" at Blue Hill in the West Village.) "I’m excited to meet Michelle Obama. We’re really lucky to go. So, like, I’m happy," one student told WCBS 880.