“She exuded this sense of strength and self-possession that I found magnetic,” Bill Clinton said, describing the first time he saw his wife Hillary, the Democrats’ new nominee for president.

His charming story to a rapt convention Tuesday night was vintage Clinton — empathetic, emotional, personal and masterful. He painted a picture of someone almost too busy pursuing social justice to stop for a moment and agree to marry him. It was about as effective an antidote as possibly to the reality Americans have seen all too clearly this past year, of a calculating, duplicitous politician who has monetized her public service and readily sacrifices principle for ambition.