Margaret Thatcher was an unflinching and principled world leader. During an uncertain and dangerous time in history, she stood strong with Ronald Reagan and together they defeated Communism. Hillary Clinton is a two-term New York senator and a former first lady who survived the scandals of her husband's tumultuous presidency. Whenever challenged or outmaneuvered, she typically plays the victim. They are two very different women, indeed.
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Mrs. Clinton's early success and the seeming inevitability of her nomination must have bred an incredible confidence and a dangerous arrogance within team Clinton. It also helped to reveal her true character. This seems to be the only explanation for why a flubbed answer to a simple debate question is generating so much controversy.
Last week's infamous non-response to whether Mrs. Clinton supports Governor Spitzer's ill-conceived plan to issue driver's licenses to illegal aliens raised eyebrows and provided an avenue of attack to her hapless opponents. Her grousing that those opponents engaged in the politics of "piling on" because she is a woman competing in the "boy's club" of politics is still dominating the political discussion.
Feminists are split on Mrs. Clinton playing the gender card. Their point of view, however, seems to be shaped by their candidate preferences. Those on team Clinton are shocked by the attacks. Those supporting her opponents are offended by Mrs. Clinton's reaction. The former Democratic vice presidential candidate, Geraldine Ferraro, a Clinton supporter, told the New York Times the debate demonstrated that it's "OK in this country to be sexist."
Another Clinton supporter, the president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, Eleanor Smeal, told the Politico that the debate reminded her of Anita Hill's congressional testimony. "Every woman — it was just so visceral — that panel was all male," she told the publication. "It didn't matter almost what was being said. It [was] a visceral gut reaction, and I think that's what you're seeing here again."
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Senator Edwards' resident feminist, the former NARAL Pro-Choice America president, Kate Michelman, was unimpressed and questioned Mrs. Clinton's character. "When unchallenged, in a comfortable, controlled situation, Senator Clinton embraces her political elevation into the 'boy's club,'" Ms. Michelman said in a statement released by Mr. Edwards' campaign. "She is quick to assure listeners she is plenty tough enough, that she's battled tested, ready to play be the same rules as the boys." "But when she's challenged, when legitimate questions are asked, questions she should be prepared to answer and discuss, she is just as quick to raise the white flag and look for a change in the rules."
Senator Dodd, the Democratic presidential candidate who started this debate by daring to question his opponent's tangled non-response, put the discussion back into perspective.
"If elected to the presidency, there will be a lot of tough questions and if you can't handle it in a debate without accusing everybody who has an issue with you of piling on or a sexist attack, somehow, first of all that's unwise and, secondly, it's false," Mr. Dodd told the Associated Press.
This brings us back to Mrs. Thatcher. The world today, like the world then, is a dangerous place requiring strong leaders. Mrs. Thatcher demonstrated that a strong woman could successfully lead a powerful nation in times of trouble and risk.
In the 1990s, I had the honor to make her acquaintance through a mutual friend. My previous admiration for her strength and sense of purpose was validated during a week we spent vacationing with our spouses and a few friends. She commanded respect and trust. She did not ask for sympathy or special treatment because of her gender. The very thought would have been ridiculous to her. Not so for Mrs. Clinton.
Democrat primary voters will most likely overlook Mrs. Clinton's critical flaw. Her lead in the polls is too great, her funding is substantial, and her campaign team is top-notch. This issue, however, will not go away. The nation seeks a strong leader, and Mrs. Clinton is not Mrs. Thatcher.
Lady Thatcher is an exceptional person in history. In a list compiled by New Statesman in 2006, she was voted fifth in the list of "Heroes of our time". She was also named a "Hero of Freedom" by the libertarian magazine Reason. She was instrumental in the fall of the Soviet Union. She has been out on the front lines of global warming long before Al Gore realised the issue was popular. Lady Thatcher was often leading her Country, making tough political decisions, often unpopular, for the benefit of her country.
Clinton, on the other hand, has had an unremarkable political career. As First Lady she is known for "sticking by her man" when Bill was caught cheating. She failed to pass "Hillarycare" (a system mandating employers to provide health care thought HMOs to their employees) through either house of the legislature, even though both houses were democratically controlled. As New York's Junior Senator, her two terms have been unremarkable. Not a single major peace of legislation that I can think of bears her name. She has flip flopped on Afghanistan and Iraq and has not taken a stand on any issue before taking extensive public opinion polls to see which way the wind was blowing.
To even mention Senator Clinton in the same sentence with Lady Thatcher is an insult to Lady Thatcher, to whom I now apologize for insulting.
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