It was a tough day for FLOTUS yesterday in Iowa. When claiming to be a “good friend” of someone, a necessary element of credibility is knowing what his name is.

Fox News summarizes the events:

While campaigning in Des Moines, Iowa Friday for Democratic Senate candidate Bruce Braley, she referred to him multiple times as “Bailey” before she was corrected by someone shouting from the audience.

(a longer video featuring her repeated mispronunciation is found here)

More embearrassing: "The flub came despite a huge array of signs in the hall where she was speaking, all spelling Braley’s name correctly."

Mrs. Obama’s excuse offered to the audience was that she has been traveling too much. This means, in other words, that her claim to be a good friend is so much eyewash, just empty words intended to fool Iowans.

She also got something else wrong. Very wrong:

The first lady also referred to Braley as a Marine Corps veteran, which he is not. Braley’s staff said she meant to refer to his late father, Byard Braley, a Marine who fought at Iwo Jima.

Braley’s opponent in the Senate race, Republican Joni Ernst, is a member of the Army reserve and National Guard.

All in all, it is hard to see how her visit to Iowa is going to help Braley.