Laura Bush, the woman Republicans hope will be America's next first lady, launched herself on to the national stage with a plea for literacy and a vow that her husband would 'uphold the honour' of the presidency.
Quiet and dignified compared to her husband's more garrulous demeanour, Mrs Bush's address on the opening day of the Republican Party's national convention was one she had pledged never to make - she married 'Dubya' only after a promise that she would never have to make a political speech on his behalf.