By Adriel Bettelheim, CQ Staff

Voters are supposed to focus on the candidates, not on the candidates’ spouses. But that’s proven difficult in the case of Michelle Obama, a Harvard-educated lawyer who has juxtaposed her husband’s optimistic campaign messages with sometimes tart assessments of what’s wrong with America.

Democratic officials gave the aspiring First Lady the prime-time speaking spot on the first night of their national convention Monday to allow her to reintroduce herself to the country and talk about the couple’s values. Early assessments from delegates were guardedly positive.

“I’ve never heard Michelle Obama speak before ... she spoke from her heart,” said Mississippi delegate Kelly Jacobs, 49, a Hillary Rodham Clinton supporter. “She talked about family, which people relate to.”

“Her job was to help make people feel comfortable with her husband, that he’s a regular guy, and understands their problems ... And I think she went a long way towards doing that,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York.

Michelle Obama drew parallels between her own rise from working-class roots and her husband’s, saying the shared experience helped forge their family values.

“You work hard for what you want in life; that you word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them and even if you don’t agree with them,” Obama said.

Watch the video of Michelle Obama speaking at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 26.

She also extended an olive branch to Clinton, her husband’s principal rival for the nomination. The New York senator, Obama said, “put those 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling, so that our daughters and sons can dream a little bigger and aim a little higher.”

Obama raised questions about her own patriotism during a February appearance in Milwaukee when, speaking about record turnout in early Democratic primaries, she said that “for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback.” (Later that night she said she meant to say it was the first time she was “really” proud.)

She also has characterized the United States as “just downright mean” and “guided by fear”

The remarks have provided fodder for conservative critics, who questioned her patriotism and have branded her an elitist. Some delegates said that to fortify her husband’s prospects, Obama had to demonstrate empathy with everyday Americans’ concerns and blunt the critics’ efforts to portray her as bitter or out-of-touch.

So, on Monday night, she drew two of the biggest ovations from the Pepsi Center crowd when she declared, “The American dream endures,” and toward the end of her speech, “ I love this country, and in my own life, in my own small way, I’ve tried to give back to this country that has given me so much.”

After the speech, Barack Obama appeared on the convention hall’s big screen, speaking from Kansas City.