The buzzing accolades are remarkably similar. "She did what she needed to do." "She knew what she needed to do and she delivered." "She knocked it out of the ballpark."

Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton held the spotlights during the first two nights of the Democratic National Convention. To win, each woman had to deliver a speech that satisfied the expectations of supporters and defied expectations of detractors and swayed many of those who weren't sure how they felt.

Mission accomplished I say. Look, the waters didn't rise and part at the end of either speeches, but each speech moved the needle as far as any single speech could have possibly done.
Michelle Obama succeeded in softening her image. Revealing a life story of modest beginnings sprinkled with vignettes of her hardworking, physically ill father, devoted mother and brother, Michelle's story is an "All-American" story. And the image she painted of a nervous Barack Obama driving his wife and brand new baby daughter home is one that millions of mothers and fathers in this country will surely relate to.

Hillary Clinton stepped out radiant and beautiful rocking her Orange pantsuit. I loved it. She spoke as a Democratic Party champion. Her full throttle endorsement of Barack Obama for President of the United States right out of the gate set the course and the tone for what Hillary Clinton had to say. I startled myself cheering for Hillary Clinton as she challenged the intentions of her still stalwart supporters and stuck it to John McCain. "No way. No how. No McCain." Fantastic.

The election swings on the women's vote and women are still finding their way to Barack Obama. Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton's speeches should help light that path.