Four first ladies and a first gentleman

Carol Paul

Image evoked: Betty White
Wardrobe style: Mature chic
Hardship and courage: Having an electrical block to her heart on the campaign trail during the Iowa straw poll
Campaign trail fumble: Having less than gracious thoughts on the campaign trail about anyone who insults her husband
Bad-girl past: Most controversial activities included knitting, cross-stitching and receiving a fox-fur jacket for her 16th birthday (PETA would be appalled)
Noted accomplishment: Once ran a dancing school
Age: 71

Bill Clinton

Image evoked: Bill Clinton
Wardrobe style: Southern-style Brooks Brothers
Hardship and courage: Surviving a triple-bypass operation in 2004
Campaign trail fumble: Calling the depiction of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as the anti-Iraq war candidate a “fairytale”
Bad-boy past: Where do we begin?
Noted accomplishment: Two presidencies
Age: 59

Cindy McCain

Image evoked: Linda Evans as Krystal Harrington on “Dynasty”
Wardrobe style: Desperate housewife; often wears St. John
Hardship and courage: She suffered from a stroke
Campaign trail fumble: Taking advantage of Michelle Obama’s fumble that “This is the first time I’ve been proud of my country.”
Bad-girl past: Addicted to pain-killers she stole in the mid-1990s, a condition she hid from her husband, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
Noted accomplishment: She is an heiress to a beer distributor, as well as a former rodeo queen and special education teacher
Age: 53

Michelle Obama

Image evoked: Phylicia Rashad as Clair Huxtable
Wardrobe style: Red carpet meets high-powered attorney
Hardship and courage: Dealing with the safety issues of her husband’s presidential campaign, which have included threatening e-mails; she has a full security detail
Campaign trail fumble: Bringing up her husband’s “stinky feet” to Glamour magazine, and her general ongoing scolding and ridicule of him
Bad-girl past: Serial dater. Before meeting Sen. Obama, she was reportedly a demanding girlfriend, breaking up with one guy after another
Noted accomplishment: This Princeton grad was a high-powered Chicago attorney and former vice president of the University of Chicago Medical Center
Age: 44

Janet Huckabee

Image evoked: Elizabeth Dole
Wardrobe style: Backyard barbecue; she has been known to wear moss-green getups and homemade tiger-print ensembles
Hardship and courage: In 1975, she was diagnosed with spinal cancer. She had surgery and radiation treatment and made a complete, miraculous recovery
Campaign trail fumble: Recently stayed at the Hooters Casino Hotel in Las Vegas
Bad-girl past: Daredevil. Jumps out of planes; shoots skeet and has a permit to carry a concealed weapon. She likes to hunt and once shot a grenade launcher
Noted accomplishment:  Former Arkansas first lady, PTA president, substitute teacher and pharmacist’s assistant. She was a star basketball player in high school and has completed two marathons
Age: 52