The First Lady addressed the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Wednesday.  She focused on her intention to take a leadership role in the fight against childhood obesity, and the need for Mayors across America to join her.

The video of her remarks are here, the full text here, and an excerpt of her remarks follows:

It makes sense that this organization, composed of mayors across the political spectrum, would take the lead on this issue. Because like much of what you do each day, this isn’t a partisan issue. This has nothing to do with whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, liberal or conservative. It’s about the kind of future we want for our kids. And it’s about whether we’re willing to use both our policies and our bully pulpits to build that future.

That’s what [Oklahoma City]Mayor Cornett did, when he started talking about the problem of obesity and lost 40 pounds himself to get down to his target weight. And the people of his city took notice. When he goes to restaurants now, everyone watches what he orders. And a reporter quoted one of his constituents saying, “When the mayor pushes you to lose weight, that says something.”

That’s the kind of impact each of you can have. That’s the power that raising awareness and setting an example yourself can have on an entire city or town.

And that’s what I hope to do during my time as First Lady. That’s why, next month, I’ll be launching a major initiative on childhood obesity that mobilizes the combined resources of the federal government to work with partners across the country, including mayors like all of you, and others in the foundation, business and non-profit sectors.

The idea here is very simple: to put in place commonsense, innovative solutions that empower families and communities to make healthy decisions for their kids.

That includes increasing the number of “healthy schools” where kids have access to nutritious food; providing more opportunities for kids to be physically active; ensuring that affordable healthy food is available in more communities; and giving parents the information they need to make good choices for themselves and their families.

And going forward, I want to hear more from all of you about this. We need your ideas and input. We want to hear your thoughts about which strategies and programs are really working, and which aren’t. We’re looking to you to be leaders on the frontlines of this effort across the country.

In the end, I know that achieving all this won’t be easy – and it won’t be quick. This isn’t the kind of problem that can be solved in one year, or even one Administration. But make no mistake about it, this problem can be solved.

We don’t need to wait for some new invention or discovery to make this happen. This doesn’t require fancy tools or technologies. We have everything thing we need right now – we have the information; we have the ideas; and we have the desire to start solving America’s childhood obesity problem. The only question is whether we have the will. Are we willing to work across party lines to give our kids a healthy future? Are we willing to change our own habits as we work to change theirs? Are we willing to make every decision about our schools, communities, and cities with the health and well-being of our children in mind? In the end, are we willing to put our kids first?

I’m here today because I think we are – because I think we all know exactly what’s at stake here. It’s what I think about when I tuck my girls into bed at night – how I want them to be happy and healthy and have every chance to follow their aspirations and ambitions. I want them to have the tools they need to succeed in life: not just the education and opportunities – but the physical and emotional strength to seize those opportunities. I want them to be able to engage in life with the energy, endurance, and focus they need to meet the challenges they’ll face along the way.

* Image: First lady Michelle Obama is introduced before address to the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010. From left are, Burnsville, Minn Mayor Elizabeth Kautz, Mrs. Obama, Trenton, N.J. Mayor Douglas Palmer and Energy Secretary Steven Chu.