Not long after he was elected in 2008, I mentioned to friends and family that I thought Barack Obama’s secret weapon would be his wife, Michelle.

She had as much charisma, maybe more smarts and at least as much political skill as her husband. You can choose to believe I said as much, or you can choose to believe I’m making this up. Whatever. It’s true and I’m sticking to my guns on that one.

Why not put her to work?

http://online.wsj.com/articles/democrats-urge-michelle-obama-to-hit-the-trail-1411342576?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

It turns out Democrats around the country are beginning to clamor for the first lady to hit the campaign trail on behalf of beleaguered candidates. She’d be better at drumming up support than her husband, whose poll numbers continue to languish in the low to mid-40 percent range.

Michelle Obama’s poll numbers? They’re a lot higher than her husband’s. That’s for certain.

The Democrats are clinging to a thin hope of retaining control of the U.S. Senate. Recent polls in North Carolina and Alaska suggest the Democrats might be turning the tide. And the Democrats got an unexpected break in, of all places, Kansas, where the Democratic Senate candidate dropped out, paving the way for an independent who likely will side with Democrats to beat the Republican incumbent.

So, why unleash the first lady in those states where Democrats have a puncher’s chance of holding on?

“She just tells a different story, because she’s not a politician and she’s not an elected official,” said a Democratic official in New Hampshire, where Sen. Jean Shaheen is locked in a tough fight against former Massachusetts Republican Sen. Scott Brown, who recently moved to New Hampshire to run against the Democratic incumbent.

Bring it, Michelle.