Liked the sunny inauguration outfit. Thought the ball gown was a bit fussy but still looked great on her. Most of all, love the brains, the bearing and the breath of fresh air that Michelle Obama brings to the White House.

And what a relief that nobody expects her to play down or apologize for her many accomplishments or the choices she made about marriage, work and family.

That's one more thing for which we can thank Hillary Clinton, who broke the first-lady mold 18 years ago and has the scars to prove it. She paved the way for Mrs. Obama, another smart, educated professional woman and mom, to step into the role with almost none of the rancor that Mrs. Clinton had to endure.

That's a welcome change for a country with a few more critical matters to deal with than who's in the kitchen baking cookies.

The new first lady's fashion choices will still attract an unending stream of opinion and commentary -- an inevitable consequence of being married to the leader of the free world in the information age -- but Mrs. Obama seems like someone who can handle the scrutiny.

One can only hope for as much attention to the issues she wants to focus on as first lady -- working with the families of military personnel and crossing the velvet ropes of Washington's elite confines to get involved in city neighborhoods long ignored by those in power.

Mrs. Obama's confident, youthful presence, and the bright, beaming faces of the first daughters, were just some of the things to celebrate during the inaugural week. From the eclectic assembly of musical artists at the Lincoln Memorial concert to the swearing-in of the first African-American president before what must have been the largest, most integrated crowd ever assembled on the National Mall, to President Barack Obama's quick reversals of some of the Bush administration's more onerous policies, you could almost hear a collective sigh of happiness and relief ripple from coast to coast.

With so much history in the making, there's another significant note that bears mentioning. The Obama presidency is bringing to prominence more worthy female talent than any administration since the nation's founding.

Front and center during the hand-over of power were Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, both of California. Also in top administrative positions, or slated to be, are Mrs. Clinton as secretary of state; Janet Napolitano as secretary of homeland security; Hilda Solis as secretary of labor; Ellen Moran (former head of the liberal women's political action committee Emily's List) as communications director; Carol Browner as coordinator of energy and climate policy; Susan Rice as U.N. ambassador; Christina Romer as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers; Valerie Jarrett as senior adviser; Cecilia Munoz, director of intergovernmental affairs; and Melody Barnes as director of the Domestic Policy Council.

Mrs. Clinton must have picked up on that sense of relief when she entered the State Department building on Thursday to sustained applause. Career diplomats and civil-service employees who spent the last eight years wandering in the desert were being called back to active duty. An administration that believes in the necessity of diplomacy was telling them how important they are to the country's safety and security. From the starved looks on their faces, you'd have thought they were about to have their first decent meal since 2001.

One of Mrs. Clinton's first acts was to ask for the resignation of U.S. global AIDS coordinator Mark Dybul, who has overseen the "abstinence-only" programs funded by the president's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Apparently, the new administration is more interested in proven, practical policies that actually prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS than in wishful thinking based on narrow ideology. Hip hip hooray.

On the same day, Mr. Obama responded to the annual anti-abortion march on Washington with a statement of unequivocal support for the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion:

On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women's health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman's right to choose.

While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information and preventative services.

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It's been a long time since this kind of common sense emanated from the White House, but at long last, the drought is over.

So 2009 wasn't the year for the first woman president, but already it is bringing a period of more female-friendly appointments and policies than the nation has ever known.

And yes, there's still a long way to go toward parity in all three branches of government, but the tapping of so many women for critical posts is another thing that plenty of Americans are glad they lived to see.