Dr. Jill & Mrs. Biden

Jill Biden in her many roles: first lady, cover girl, teacher and her husband’s defender. Now would be the time for one of her “no” moments.

Congratulations, Anna Wintour! The editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, protagonist of the film “The Devil Wears Prada,” achieved a real coup — perfect timing for the cover of Vogue. Those who know that it requires months of preparation will either admire her prescience or say thanks for the twist of fate. You could also just call it pure luck.

The Vogue cover shows Jill Biden posing in a cream-colored Ralph Lauren gown. It is an homage that puts the most powerful woman in America front and center, precisely at a moment when the first lady is playing a double role: Dr. Jill, the English teacher who takes calls from her students at a Virginia community college, and Mrs. Biden, her husband’s tough defender and protector. To some, she is even something of a Lady Macbeth, a dark, driving force in the White House recalling the Shakespeare drama.

After the television duel with Donald Trump — where was Melania, anyway? — Jill Biden led him from the podium with praise and encouragement. “Great job, Joe!” she said. “We are not going to let 90 minutes define the four years that you’ve been president,” she said at another moment. But it would be high time for a “no” moment. She apparently turned down Biden’s marriage proposal five times before finally accepting. And when advisers knelt at Biden’s feet in 2003 to ask him to run for president, she lay poolside in a bikini before finally painting “no” on her stomach and demonstratively walking through the living room.