Michelle Obama's Critique of Mitt Romney

Sept. 5, 2012 -- Mitt Romney, who?

She didn't have to say the name of her husband's Republican opponent once from the podium at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night, but first lady Michelle Obama managed to deliver a stinging yet subtle rebuke of the GOP candidate's values and approach.

"For Barack, success isn't about how much money you make, it's about the difference you make in people's lives," Michelle Obama said.

She also offered a clear rebuttal to Republicans who claim that Obama has tried to demonize Romney's wealth.

"They didn't begrudge anyone else's success or care that others had much more than they did. In fact, they admired it," the first lady said.

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She noted that President Obama "believes that when you've worked hard and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you."

The first lady cast herself and her husband as people who are intimately familiar with the problems of the middle class.

"Barack knows what it means when a family struggles," she said. "Barack knows the American Dream because he's lived it."

As ABC's Jonathan Karl put it: "It was an a-political speech that was so political."

On the whole, the Democrats' first night in Charlotte, N.C., offered a contrast -- both in message and energy -- to the GOP's confab last week in Tampa, Fla., and Team Obama hopes to keep the momentum going tonight when former President Bill Clinton takes the stage.