Invoking sexism was a risky strategy that almost worked, but not quite. Enough women navigate all-male boardrooms without needing special protections. They and others in more traditional roles were surely insulted by the implication that a woman running for president needs special handling. They've come too far to bat those lashes.

But. Let men criticize Clinton personally and a funny thing happens. Contaminating the air is a slight whiff of misogyny that women recognize and recoil against. When men speak derogatorily about Clinton's looks, all women feel a little bit wounded. What woman can withstand such scrutiny, after all?

Women may attack each other -- I've been known to observe the shrillness of Hillary's voice -- but when a man does it, something female kicks in among even the least girly of us. Bottom line: What women have in common with Hillary Clinton will always exceed what they have in common with men. This is powder room wisdom. Two women can disagree on the most controversial issues at the table, but when they head to the ladies' room, inevitably together, they see eyeball to eyeball real fast over the most basic, and ultimately most important, matters.

Hair, for instance. But also, seriously, children, family, life, love and those mysterious creatures -- men. Women may cut each other's throat for a man's affections, but most will also come to a sister's aid when men behave badly. It's human nature to empathize with the pain of those most like us.

Similarly, what men have in common with Bill Clinton exceeds what they have in common with women -- even if they are contemptuous of his narcissism and lack of self-control.

Many of us witnessed this in our own kitchens during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. The deeper Ken Starr cut into Bill Clinton's very private life, the more men felt sympathy for and aligned themselves with the president. In the locker room, schadenfreude has its limits.

Will women vote for Hillary just because she's a woman? Only if men attack Hillary as a woman.

So be nice, boys, or you may end up choking on the words "Madam President."