Michelle Obama and Jay Leno

I think Jay Leno experienced a bit of the Chris Matthews-style "thrill up his leg" when Michelle Obama was a guest on The Tonight Show.

Leno was fawning, saying how excited he was about her appearance. He said he was so honored to have her as a guest.

When Cindy McCain was on Leno's show, he was gracious, but he wasn't as starstruck.

Michelle seemed very relaxed. It was clear that she knew she was in a friendly environment. This was not enemy territory. It was her chance to be likable and less abrasive.

They didn't talk issues but Michelle managed to get two messages across:

1. Watch Barack's prime time infomercial on Wednesday, the one that will monopolize the airwaves.

2. Vote early, and often. (No, she didn't say "often." I made that up, but she did encourage people to vote early.)

Claiming that she doesn't pay attention to the polls, Michelle trotted out the line, "When you're named 'Barack Obama,' you are the underdog."

Leno brought up all the "negative ads."

The question seemed one-sided, as if McCain hadn't been the victim of negative campaigning. Obama has been lying about McCain's positions but apparently Leno is uninformed.

Did I mention that Leno is voting for Obama?

Leno teed one up for Michelle by bringing up the wardrobe issue and Sarah Palin. It was a sleazy move. She was able to say she was wearing J. Crew. It was a yellow outfit, the same color Cindy McCain wore when she was Leno's guest back on April 30.

Leno asked, "Is Barack a romantic guy?"

Michelle said, "He is very romantic."

Barack suspended the campaign to take her out to dinner for their anniversary, 16 years on October 3.

I think that would be romantic if they didn't tell the world, if it weren't exploited for political gain. It seemed choreographed.

Leno said he felt so sad that Michelle lost her dad in 1990, that he didn't live to see her on the verge of becoming first lady.

In past elections, Leno has managed to stay pretty neutral. Not this time.

It's worth noting that there's already a clip from the interview on The Tonight Show website.

That's unusual. Obviously, there was an effort to get maximum exposure for Michelle appearance.


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