Michelle Obama - First Lady of the first ladies

ON Tuesday night Barack Obama hosted the last state banquet of his second US Presidency. His guests were Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and his wife Agnese Landini.

At his side, as she has been so reliably, so very brightly and so conspicuously for both of his White House terms — and the 14 diplomatic galas he hosted — was his wife Michelle.

It has been at least half a century since an American First Lady has made such an impression, touched so many hearts, exuded such optimism, humanity, plain decency, warmth, and intelligence.

And steel too when it was needed as her evisceration of Donald Trump last week showed.

At a moment when it seems all but obligatory to attack the establishment and the individuals who sustain it Michelle Obama has bucked that trend.

Her charisma, charm, good nature, easily shared sense of fun and determination to always do the right thing has won her friends all around the world.

There are suggestions she has laid the foundations for a presidential campaign in four years and even if that is just Beltway scuttlebutt one thing is certain.

Irrespective of who replaces her in the White House — one alternative an increasingly sad figure with a pretty shabby record on how he misused women and the other a contrived, implausible character with very limited world experience — they will not make the impact or represent America as well as she has.

Michelle Obama will be missed but maybe not for too long.