Great women - so why aren't THEY leading?

If you listen to the commentators this year’s election could be swung as much by the leaders’ wives as by their policies. Even before we knew Samantha Cameron was pregnant she had been hailed as the Tories’ ’secret weapon’. What is the fascination with leader’s wives in this election? I don’t remember anyone giving so much attention to Norma and Cherie. (Well maybe Cherie but she wasn’t seen as an asset.)
Michelle Obama, Sarah Brown and Samantha Cameron are all more popular than their husbands. Does this mean they should run for office? Or is it more so that they are popular because they are NOT politicians? They know their place – supporting their man. Deborah Orr writes an interesting article in the Guardian on the significance of these political leaders having ‘great women’ behind them. It’s just a shame that we don’t have more great women leading us.