DENVER _ Declaring that “I love this country,’’ Michelle Obama on Monday assured voters that she and her husband, Barack Obama, share Americans’ key values and dream for a better future, according to The Associated Press.

Obama, in her first major address at the Democratic National Convention, described herself as a daughter, sister, wife and mother, seeking to compare herself to many other women in the United States.

As a boisterous crowd waved signs that read “Michelle,’’ Obama said she and her husband, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, are obligated to “fight for the world as it should be,’’ according to the AP.

Her speech followed a passionate address from Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, who is battling brain cancer. Kennedy, introduced by his niece, Caroline Kennedy, urged Democrats to rally behind Barack Obama in his quest for the White House.

But most of Monday’s spotlight was on Michelle Obama. Observers and newscasters declared her speech a hit.

CNN’s David Gergen, a political commentator who criticized the early part of the convention for its slow start, said that Michelle Obama “rescued’’ the evening.

“She was extraordinary, talking in ways that were both conversational — always welcome in people’s living room — but also inspiring,’’ Gergen said, according to CNNpolitics.com. “She spoke in ways that reached out to people of all backgrounds. Democrats should be both proud and grateful.’’

bbennett@sfltimes.com

Pictured above is Michelle Obama.