Obama warns Republicans about attacking wife

Michelle Obama is a strong woman, but her husband the presidential candidate warned Republicans to lay off going after her.

The Tennessee GOP last week posted an online video hitting Michelle Obama for a comment that foes called unpatriotic. While campaigning in February, Obama declared, "For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country."

She later clarified the remark, including in an appearance in Providence, saying that she was proud of how Americans were taking part in politics and that she had always been proud of her country.

In an interview aired today on ABC's "Good Morning America," Obama said, "The GOP, should I be the nominee, can say whatever they want to say about me, my track record. If they think that they're going to try to make Michelle an issue in this campaign, they should be careful because that I find unacceptable, the notion that you start attacking my wife or my family."

"Whoever is in charge of the Tennessee GOP needs to think long and hard about the kind of campaign they want to run, and I think that's true for everybody, Democrat or Republican," Obama continued.

Obama said his wife "loves this country. For them to try to distort or to play snippets of her remarks in ways that are unflattering to her is, I think, just low class. I think that most of the American people would think that as well."

UPDATE: In response, the Republican National Committee sent an example of the Democratic National Committee criticizing Cindy McCain for not releasing her tax returns, noting that Obama said nothing at the time.