In full command of her job and public image, she's aced the traditional role of First Lady while simultaneously modernizing the office. She's also choosing her issues and her battles, and doling out chatty information and weighty lessons in equal measure. Setting style trends that honor her personal taste, her position and her awareness of the economic crisis is just one of the ways she has stayed true to herself — brilliantly achieving her most important goal of raising her two daughters with as much grace and thoughtfulness as she brings to the public sphere.
—By Mark Halperin