The idea of a woman as commander in chief still startles a lot of both men and women. Women are thought to be squeamish about using brute force, more reluctant to use disciplined violence to compel behavior. But maybe that's a straw woman, too. Men are just as likely to oppose the war in Iraq as women, though fighting a war is still a man's job. Judging from what's currently available, particularly in Hillary's party, a woman seems more likely than a man to dispatch men to a necessary war. The question of a woman as commander in chief is not about "women," but a specific woman. Indira Gandhi had no problem with going to war; neither did Margaret Thatcher. Golda Meir was as tough as any Israeli man. In a race between Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani, sexual differences are likely to be the least of it. Who we trust to best protect the country from terrorists is crucial, and that goes to experience and strong leadership, not sex.
Our myths about heroic women show them to be as tough (or as weak) as men in confronting power. Anthony and Cleopatra shared responsibility for their defeat. Lady Macbeth orchestrated her husband's downfall. Delilah's scissors brought about Samson's blindness, and it was she who blinded him before she cut his hair.
One of the chief arguments against women's suffrage was that women couldn't compete with men in the workplace, but we've learned that's not true. The New York Times reports that young women are out-earning their male counterparts in several major cities. Women compete, but compete differently. They're not less aggressive, but aggressive in different ways. The male chauvinist boss typically criticizes, interrupts and questions another's judgment. (Isn't that just like a man?) The female chauvinist boss can be more devious, mincing words, criticizing through malevolent gossip and furtive backbiting. Anyone who has ever worked for a woman in an environment made up mostly of women (as I once did at Vogue magazine) knows the she-devil wears Prada, after all.
Feminists held up the Amazon archer as the model of tough warrior, who proved her mettle by cutting off a breast to get it out of the way of her bow, the better to send an arrow speeding toward the heart of a foe. That was mere myth. Real women fight with their talent, their grit and their spunk. Look around you. Women are doing all right.