As she prepares to step out beyond her role as the self-described "mom-in-chief," Michelle Obama has been busy behind the scenes crafting a policy-driven agenda that will bring working-family issues into the White House u2014 and she's surrounded herself with a team of veteran political insiders and seasoned policy advocates to do it.

Though Obama aides are quick to say the first lady isn't planning on having an independent policy power center, but as Michelle Obama made her first official trip outside the White House on Monday u2014 to the Department of Education u2014 the shape and direction of her office, with advisers who have worked for Bill Clinton, Al Gore and John Edwards, clearly bear a lot more resemblance to Clinton's style than to that of Laura Bush.