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NASCAR jeers, cheers Mrs. O

Michelle Obama yesterday got a mixed reception at NASCAR’s season finale in Homestead, Fla. — where the drivers applauded her, but the crowd booed.

She was there with Vice President Joe Biden’s wife, Jill, to honor the military. They got a standing ovation when Obama told the drivers in a prerace speech that NASCAR has been “amazing in terms of its support, not just today but every day, for military families.’’

But later, when the first lady anounced to the drivers, “Gentlemen, start your engines,’’ fans booed.

Meanwhile, in Des Moines, Iowa, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, former chief of staff to President Obama, came to his defense, saying Obama made tough choices with the next generation in mind, not the next election.