Denver's lesson - get serious on style
Michelle Obama hit the stage this week at the Denver Convention with all the self-assurance of a woman who had spent years of public speaking, despite never having done it on such a scale before.
That buzz was replicated next day when Hillary Clinton took the podium and asked the crowd: "Were you in this campaign just for me?"
Certainly tina Brown was, claiming to have lost all interest, post-Hillary, in the Presidential race. A touch churlish but maybe she has a point. this is a contest dominated by remarkable women - and one of them hasn't even been running for office.
But if Obama wins in november, the two very different women in his life will have played a significant part. they, as much as the men, are giving American politics its X-factor.
And are we jealous. Michelle in her duck-egg blue tailored dress gave a calculated yet moving speech. With her combination of personal and political messages, she could teach our politicians a thing or two - and she's "just" the wife.
It's a role former first Lady Hillary understands well, from the importance of good speech-writers to the power of a great suit.
Before picking the orange wool jacket she wore for the speech that united the party behind Obama, a team of image men checked four identical, different-coloured versions against the backdrop and lighting. the appeal of these women isn't just about image.
They also pack plenty of feminism with their femininity, something our political women haven't cracked. They get the whole package right, as the Democrats showed by turning Michelle from a liability into an asset overnight with her speech. Gordon Brown's many advisers don't seem to think that a stirring speech by Sarah Brown might help humanise her beleaguered husband.
Transatlantic comparisons aren't entirely fair. Our politicians and spouses have relatively little support, whereas Hillary and Michelle are part of a vast image machine.
But as Samantha Cameron ably displayed on holiday in Cornwall this summer, it doesn't take much. She stole the front pages in a cheap vest and fashionable skirt.
Does it make us bad feminists to want substance and style? not if it helps re-engage the apathetic masses, particularly women.
If it takes a killer dress to get the message across, I'll vote for that.
