Fur Flies Over Michelle Obama PETA Ad

(Jan. 6) -- The first lady's office thinks the latest anti-fur ad from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is far from fabulous.

PETA has rolled out a campaign in the Washington area that features photos of Michelle Obama, Carrie Underwood, Oprah Winfrey and Tyra Banks on a poster that declares them "Fur-Free and Fabulous!" The image is also plastered on a van that cruises around the city.

"We did not consent to it," the first lady's spokeswoman, Semonti Stephens, said in a terse statement.

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk admitted her organization didn't ask permission to use Mrs. Obama's picture because it knows she can't make such endorsements as first lady. But PETA decided that her announcement in June that she had sworn off fur -- as did France's first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy -- was enough to justify including Obama in the ad campaign.

Pop star Pink even gave Obama a shout-out during a D.C.-area concert in September, praising her fur-free stance and calling her "an animal-lovin' first lady."

Praise from Pink is one thing, but unauthorized use of the first lady's image is what has the White House seeing red.