Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Military Hillary
Camille Paglia in this article argues that women need to, um, bone up on military matters if they are to be serious contenders for commander in chief. Paglia praises Hillary Clinton for having the smarts to realize this and got on the Armed Services Committee when first joining the Senate. It turns out that her dad was a Navy drill instructor.
It doesn't hurt that Paglia places the whole issue within a cultural and historical context, going from Hatshepsut to Thatcher to Hedda Gabler. This depth of sensibility offers so much more than the usual political bloviating.
I have to add that savvy about the military or not, Hillary has to lose the scolding manner which many say is not evident in her warm personal interactions; reminiscent of observations made about Al Gore's personal conviviality and wooden public face during his candidacy. Voters watch demeanor as least as attentively as they parse a resume.