By the time Michelle Obama gave her husband the fist-bump heard around the world before his nomination speech, we already knew that this woman would be a different kind of First Lady -- one that would bring new dimension to that curiously antiquated term.
Since she burst on to the national consciousness, her trajectory remains in full ascent. She lit up the capitols of Europe in ways unmatched by any First Lady before her -- even Jackie Kennedy.
One on level, the reason for the reaction is obvious.
This is one tough, smart, attractive engaging woman who is more than up to meeting the high-stakes but loosely-defined demands of a position where the Goldilocks chorus will always find too much or too little -- seldom just right.
In ways that may be hard to describe, a nation and the world are responding to her self-described role as "mother-in-chief" -- a description that in less authentic hands might have all the resonance of Mitt Romney complimenting African-American kids on their "bling bling."
As the world financial structure shudders and sways, we have responded to the comfort of her calm, clear and unapologetic certainty about who she is. Perhaps she reminds us that there is no such thing as monsters (Madoff being a discussion for another time) and there is nothing hiding under the bed.
She is showing that the very qualities that make a great mother -- consistency, clarity, humor, wisdom, patience, connection, confidence and determination and the like -- also populate the job description of a great leader.
To paraphrase Patrick Henry: If this be motherhood, make the most of it
Some of that, as I've argued here before, is packaging. A woman who can hold her own in any board room seems to have mastered the talking points about the joys of running a home and raising kids.
But there is real substance inside the package.
In ways that have become so rare in any sphere of leadership these days, she allows us to see the real person, and makes us believe that what we see is the truth. Part of that truth is her recognition that, with a white house staff at her disposal and her live-in mother providing domestic bench-strength, she has a support network unimaginable to most women.
Another woman in another time might have encountered the kind of blow back from the arbiters of expectation that Hillary Clinton encountered when she said she had no intention of staying home and baking cookies. The concern this time, from some feminist quarters: Obama is wasting her Princeton and Harvard Law degrees, well, baking cookies.
As Geraldine Brooks wrote in an the October 2008 edition of More magazine, Michelle Obama's story is a "a depressingly retrograde narrative of stifling gender roles and frustrating tradeoffs."
Watching her move nimbly from the halls of state to the halls of grade schools as she charmed her way across Europe, I see nothing depressing, nothing stifling. Whatever tradeoffs she has made appear quite comfortable, as she is deftly balancing home and office -- no small trick when your office is in the White House and the world is grading your every syllable.
While two little girls run the White House grounds, this force of intellect, looks and personality will very happily employ those sculpted arms to carry a cookie tray. But at the same time, it is clear that the country's "mom-in-chief" can handle the responsibilities of motherhood while standing square in the klieg lights of her position.
She is an object lesson in the importance and power of mothers, a reminder that their work is empowering, comforting, instructive and joyous. We like that. And more than any time in recent memory, we need it.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.