Sexism Is Alive And Well At National Review
March 22, 2011 10:10 am ET by Jamison Foser
National Review's Mark Krikorian thinks it's just awful that women might play a role in making public decisions:
Look, I'm a sensitive New Age guy — I cook, I do laundry, I choke up at movies (well, Gladiator, anyway). But does anyone think our enemies abroad are as enlightened as we are about feminism? Steyn is right that the specific lesson they're learning is that nukes are the best insurance against invasion — but a broader one is that our commander-in-chief is an effete vacillator who is pushed around by his female subordinates. Prof. Althouse notes, "A feminist milestone: Our male President has been pulled into war by 3 women," and Senator Graham scored points with "I Thank God for Strong Women in the Obama Administration," but we're going to pay for this.
I don't know how much influence Hillary Clinton, Susan Rice, and Samantha Power had over the Obama administration's Libya policy, and neither does Mark Krikorian. What is clear is that Mark Krikorian thinks it is terrible that they are perceived as having been influential, and that it is terrible precisely because they are women. And no, I'm not over-interpreting Krikorian's comments -- he explicitly says this:
Before you send me any burning bras, the problem is not with women leaders — the enemies of the Virgin Queen and the Iron Lady can attest to that. The problem is not even with the president having strong female subordinates. Rather, Obama's pusillanimity has been hugely magnified by the contrast with the women directing his foreign policy and the fact that they nagged him to attack Libya until he gave in. Maybe it's unfair and there shouldn't be any difference from having a male secretary of state do the same thing, but there is.
Krikorian pretends that he doesn't (necessarily) think the influence of a female secretary of state should be viewed differently from the influence of a male secretary of state -- he's just describing the world as it is. But Krikorian's word choice gives him away: The three women, Krikorian writes, "nagged" Obama until he gave in.
Let's be clear about this: Mark Krikorian isn't describing sexism, he's demonstrating it.
Previously:
NRO's Krikorian on pronunciation of Sotomayor's name: "It Sticks in My Craw"
Captain Oveur: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?
And that's just how Obama likes it. Obama has been telegraphing all of his crummy policies since even before the official start of his presidential campaign, but to this day the White House sends out leaks and statements to the effect that he is trying to find compromises with the Republicans or mediating between two opposing groups - and yet somehow he always ends up doing exactly what he said he wanted to do way back when. It's just that no one was paying attention. And he likes that, too.
If his concept of feminism is about doing laundry, cooking, and choking up at movies, then I would say yes, our enemies abroad are every bit as enlightened about feminism as he is. Or, put another way, they are every bit as sexist as he is.