Michelle Obama Debuts on Forbes' List of 100 Powerful Women -- at No. 40

First Lady Michelle Obama, about to round out the summer with a stay on Martha's Vineyard, perhaps packing those shorts for the trip, debuted on the Forbes list of 100 Most Powerful Women -- at No. 40.

Given that the list is heavily tilted to CEOs and world leaders, it seems a reasonable slot. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was No. 1 and Sheila Bair, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., was No. 2.

Readers of DailyFlotus.com will note that Bair made Oprah Winfrey's first-ever "Power List," which, now that I think about it, omitted Mrs. Obama. But Winfrey had only 19 living women on her list, along with Cleopatra.

Winfrey, chairman of Harpo Productions as well as an international star, is 41st on the Forbes list, right below Mrs. Obama. Queen Elizabeth, one of the first lady's new friends, is 42nd.

Trumping them are House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, at 35, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, ranked 36th.