Time for a Woman

According to Bill Clinton, our country has changed and has moved away from biases based on race, ethnicity, gender and religion. I think President Clinton is overstating it a bit but I was pleased to see two articles this morning in the male-centric NYT that focus on the accomplishments of women.

First, on the front page, the NYT talks about how President Obama has so many more choices of women for the Supreme Court than his predecessors when Justice O'Connor and Ginsburg were nominated. Some of the choices look great on paper too--Sonia Sotomayor is a Princeton and Yale graduate (although I have other qualms about her based on personal experience), Elena Kagan, Diane Wood, Janet Napolitano and even Kim Wardlaw on the 9th Circuit. A surfeit of talented accomplished women in public places!

Second, in the back of the front section there was a favorable article about Hillary Clinton adapting to her role as chief diplomat. Typically it is hard to find any news about Hillary but the NYT gave her props for stepping up on "key issues" : Pakistan, Iran and Cuba. She has put a positive spin on the super envoys calling them "force multipliers" that have "bought us time." Nice way of saying that she is up to speed and in charge now, boys!

All in all, a good day for women in the public eye. I just hope that Obama does not pick an intellectually and morally weak woman to appease the forces across the aisle. There are plenty of good women to put on the court.