First lady will set the tone for convention with Tuesday night speech

 






When Michelle Obama takes the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, she faces a similar task as Ann Romney of presenting her husband as a father and family man -- above his public persona in the political spotlight.

The first lady will speak on the convention's opening night, exactly one week after Mrs. Romney delivered what one CNN analyst called "political velvet" -- an address at the GOP convention in Tampa that took her sometimes robotic businessman husband, Mitt Romney, and turned him into a charismatic candidate who will be a champion of working-class Americans.

Michelle Obama has an easier job ahead of her in convincing voters of the president's likability -- his favorability in this area ranks far above that of his GOP opponent. But she still must work to overcome a perception that Obama is a cool and sometimes distant president who has been slow to build relationships outside the White House.

Obama himself fought that image in a recent interview with CNN, saying fatherhood comes first over political schmoozing with Washington dealmakers.