Ann Romney: Michelle Obama Is 'Lovely' (VIDEO)

Ann Romney had some kind words in a recent interview for First Lady Michelle Obama, the woman she could replace in the White House if Mitt Romney wins the 2012 election.

“I think she's lovely," Romney said of Obama during an interview on Fox News. "And as everyone can appreciate it is a very difficult position to be in. Where your husband's under enormous scrutiny all the time and attacks from one side or the other and yet to be able to keep your calm and to be able to have your composure, we appreciate that and see that in her.”

Romney has spoken positively about the first lady before, and Obama has returned the gesture, standing up for Romney in the wake of a controversy over stay-at-home mothers.

The niceties are a notable departure from the often combative rhetoric that dominates presidential politics, perhaps encouraged by the popularity of both women. In a recent poll, both Romney and Obama prevailed over their husbands in personal popularity numbers.

While Romney has shown some admiration for the current first lady, that doesn't mean she doesn't have her own plans for the role, should she find herself in the White House next year.

“Every first lady brings her own personality to the White House," Romney told Fox News. "For me of course it's going to have something to do with things I care about, the things I love. Having had breast cancer, I'm sure I'll be involved in breast cancer awareness. Having had Multiple Sclerosis, I'm sure, and I know for sure I'll be working trying to promote research, but beyond that I also have worked for many years with at-risk youth, so I know I'll never be able to give that up either.”