Of all the girl power stories this one out of Spain takes the bull by the tail. Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, in an obviously political move, appointed an obviously pregnant career woman Carme Chacón to, get this, the post of Defense Minister. What can be more antithetical to the image of Defense Minister---as in military, force, soldiers, war---than a pregnant woman?! You guessed it, a drag queen...or, worse, Pedro Almodóvar. (Maybe that will be the next leader's bold progressive step.)
Man, are these soft, silly times in which we live. Women in power used to be intimidating and larger than life. Golda Mier...Eva Peron...Barbara Jordan...Queen Victoria...Cleopatra. Now we have saps like Nancy Pelosi and Lady MacBeth herself, Hillary Clinton (both of which are largely more popular than powerful, a thing which unfortunately is taken as one and the same by celebrity obsessed Americans. But appearances are deceiving. W is supposed to be a lame duck president by now yet he's still causing havoc).
Not only does the royal house have a divorcée in line to be queen---Sophia, they just don't make 'em like you and Elizabeth anymore---but now the country's military answers to a young woman (with little military training) in keeping with Sr Zapatero's ambitious gender equity. Remember the last renown country to follow that drumbeat?
That said, I can see France, Libya (oh that Gadhafi!), the Netherlands or Venus having a female Minister of Defense; I can even more easily imagine female kings or cats in hats eating green eggs and ham but, no ma'am take no offense, I cannot see for the life of me a mother to be as Minister of Defense.
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