There is just one problem with Michelle Obama's speech. After listening to her 14-minute endorsement of Hillary Clinton for the next President of the US, one can be forgiven for wishing that this First Lady had run for the post, instead of the previous one.
Michelle is a qualified woman, with a degree from Princeton and Harvard Law School under her belt. Yet, at the convention, she preferred to don her mother-of-two-teenage American-girls role. Dressed in cobalt blue with her deep brown locks of hair covering one eye and leaving the other one to make all the expressions, she cut a striking image as she addressed her concerns for America's future from the position of a parent. The expressions on the carefully made-up visible eye changed as her speech progressed, reflecting the trepidation of a fresher at White House eight years ago, the pride in her husband's values and achievements, the disdain for the clarion cries of rival camps and a confidence in bestowing the future of her country, into the hands of Hilary.
Her words were carefully chosen. Not once did she take names. Yet, she snipped into shreds the bombastic and homophobic comments of Republican nominee Donald Trump. "So that today, I wake up in a house [White House] that was built by slaves..." she said, tracing the greatness of a country which had put a black family as residents there, adding that, "And I watch my daughters—two beautiful intelligent black women—play with the dog on the White House lawn. And, because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all of our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States."
Taking on Trump's call to 'Make America Great Again', Michelle said, "Don't let anyone ever tell you that this country is not great. That somehow we need to make it great again. Because this right now is the greatest country on Earth."
Endorsing Hillary for her never-give-up attitude, specially after not winning the party nomination eight years ago. Michelle said, "Hillary knows this is so much bigger than her own disappointment. She proudly stepped up to serve our country once again as secretary of state, travelling the globe to keep out kids safe.... she never buckles under pressure". Again, lauding Hillary's career in public work, Michelle aimed a jibe at Trump, which, needless to say, was a bulls eye. "When I think about what kind of president that I want for my girls.... [I want] somebody who knows this job and takes it seriously. Somebody who understands that the issues of our nation are not black or white. It cannot be boiled down to 140 characters." With that, Trump's endless tweets, which he claims are mostly written by himself, were dismissed away with disdain.
Michelle got more incisive as she progressed. While ostensibly lauding Hillary's virtues, she continued to instead, point at every flaw of Trump's. Sample this: "Because when you have the nuclear codes at your fingertips and the military in command, you can't make snap decisions. You can't have thin skin or a tendency to lash out. You need to be steady and measured and well informed."
As Michelle walked away to a standing ovation, the admiration for her was best reflected in the eye's of former President and Hillary's husband, Bill Clinton. We can say one thing about Trump's wife, Melania and her plagiarism scandal. At least she chose the right role model.
