In an impassioned 40-minute speech at a church on Chicago's South Side, she hit back at the argument that her husband -- Democrat Barack Obama -- isn't ready to be elected president after less than a full term in the U.S. Senate.

Michelle Obama says such arguments are just part of the political game. She contends that what's clear is that the country needs a Barack Obama presidency right now.

Her comments were interrupted frequently by applause from hundreds of people who packed the Apostolic Church of God for the morning speech. Those attending included Illinois Senate President Emil Jones and Congressmen Danny Davis and Bobby Rush.