Worth repeating: Michelle Obama rocks

By Richard K. Barry

John Heilemann wrote about First Lady Michelle Obama's speech on Tuesday night in New York Magazine, calling it "one of the most extraordinary convention turns I have witnessed in more than two decades in this racket."

He continued:

Her own high-stakes debut came four years ago at the Democratic convention in Denver, in a speech that sought to dispel the negative impressions of her -- as a haughty, aggrieved, and even angry black woman -- that had been propagated in some quarters. And so it did, and then some. Since then, MRO's public image has been pure gold; with an approval rating of 66 percent, she is more popular than her husband (and any other Democrat save the Clintons) by a mile.

And yet, for all that, what no one could have fully appreciated was how much she has grown and the heights she has attained as a political performer -- until last night, that is. Purely at the level of stage presence and oratorical execution, Michelle was close to flawless: warm and natural, charming and convincing, passionate and pitch-perfect, giving off such a natural and comfortable affect that it was almost possible to forget that she was, you know, performing.

Well said, John.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)