Morning Spew

Boston Globe: "Even with an emotion-filled appearance by an ailing Senator Edward M. Kennedy, last night's spotlight was trained firmly on Michelle Obama, an accomplished hospital executive, lawyer, and mother of two who has been an outspoken advocate for her husband. She began quietly and tentatively, but drew the crowd in -- and some to tears -- with her personal testament to her character and that of her husband."

And you can't buy the kind of lead that the night produced from the Obama-skeptical New York Post:

"It was a family affair for the Obamas last night -- Michelle delivered the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention, Barack appeared via satellite video, and their youngest daughter, Sasha, stole the show in the end."

Chicago Tribune's Dawn Trice:

"I watched Michelle Obama's speech from a press table behind the all-white South Dakota delegation. I watched members leaning forward as if listening to good, engaging gossip. They were engaged. I got the feeling that perhaps many of them hadn't heard stories like this before."

Roger Simon offers the ultimate praise:

"Could the Democrats be about to nominate the wrong Obama?

"Well, probably not. But Michelle Obama, Barack's wife, gave an awfully good speech at the Democratic National Convention here Monday night. While Barack can sometimes soar off into the clouds, Michelle tends to keep things down to earth."

Slate's Dahlia Lithwick also gives it a rave:

"What I loved best about Michelle Obama's speech was that it was fearless, but in a very different way from the fearlessness modeled by Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi. Here is a woman with a degree from Harvard Law School, who could have talked about law and policy and poverty, and yet she talked about her kids, her husband, and her family. And she didn't do that merely to show us that smart women are soft and cuddly on the inside. She did what everyone else in this campaign is terrified to do: She risked looking sappy and credulous and optimistic when almost everyone has abandoned 'hope' and 'change' for coughing up hairballs of outrage. . . . Good for her for speaking from the heart when everyone else seems to be speaking from the root cellar."

But National Review's Byron York contrasts last night's address with a Michelle speech a few months ago in Charlotte:

"In Denver, Michelle Obama described America as a place of hope, a place where people find success during the course of 'improbable journeys.' In Charlotte, her America was a dark and ugly place, where people who work hard are knocked down by sinister forces -- a place where even young children burst into tears when they realize the deck is stacked against them."