Mitt Romney strode into the Tampa Bay Times Forum for the start of the Republican convention on Tuesday night as perhaps the least-known presidential nominee in recent history. Everything from his religion - barely spoken about on the campaign trail - to his business career - the subject of intense disagreements - translated as opaque. His looks and bearing registered as presidential, but there was precious little to fill out the suit.

But by the time Romney took the stage for the first time, later in the evening, his profile had begun to come into greater focus. And he had his wife of 43 years to thank for it.