First Lady makes a stop in RI

CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI/AP) - First Lady Michelle Obama made a stop in Rhode Island on Friday.

More than a year out from Election Day, she is hauling in millions in campaign cash and sketching a portrait of her husband that is drawn with an intimacy that no one else could duplicate.

• Obama's 2012 campaign weapon, Michelle

Mrs. Obama met with military spouses from across the state at the Army National Guard Facility in Cranston for a roundtable discussion. Friday night she'll head to the East Side of Providence for a Democratic National Committee reception at the home of former Providence Mayor Joe Paolino.

Folks who are attending the fundraiser have donated anywhere from $1,000 to $35,800 to the Obama campaign.

The first lady always ends her speeches to Democratic donors with two questions: "Are you in? Are you fired up?"

It's a call to arms that the Obama campaign needs more than ever this election, when the combination of a weak economy and dampened enthusiasm for the president are creating a tougher climate for raising money.

Before arriving in Rhode Island, Michelle Obama will be spending the morning at a similar fundraiser in Portland, Maine.

Friday will be a busy day for the First Lady, as it's the last day of a closely watched reporting period for quarterly campaign fundraising.