Michelle and Barack Obama are the picture of marital bliss now -- but that wasn't always the case for the presidential couple, who bickered when the commander in chief began his political career.
The Obamas' marriage got rocky when the then-Illinois state senator got pummeled in a 2000 race for Congress, a campaign that left him with little time for Michelle and his family, a new book about the Obama presidency reveals.
"She hated the failed race for Congress in 2000, and their marriage was strained by the time their youngest daughter, Sasha, was born," author Richard Wolffe wrote in his "Renegade," which follows Obama's road to the White House.
The First Lady thought her husband was "cold and ungrateful" for putting his personal life on hold to make a political run -- and for leaving her at home with their two children, Wolffe writes in the book, which was released Tuesday.
"There was little conversation and even less romance. She was angry at his selfishness and careerism; she thought he was cold and ungrateful," Wolffe wrote.
Obama lost the 2000 Democratic primary to incumbent Rep. Bobby Rush by an embarrassing 2-1 margin, a loss that convinced Michelle a political career wasn't in the cards for her husband.
"Politics seemed like a waste of time to Michelle," Wolffe wrote.
The First Couple eventually worked out their issues -- and when Obama made his 2008 run for the White House, his wife gave her blessing.
"We're strong enough to take anything on and be OK at the end," Wolffe quoted Michelle Obama as saying.
