Thursday, March 06, 2008

"there is a special place in hell"

"Women must help other women. I have this saying that I use quite frequently, which is that there is a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other. A woman with power must understand that, in actuality, her role is to help others. For a woman who wants to be at the center of power, she must understand that her power is actually maximized by encouraging more women to participate in the system."
~Madeleine K. Albright former U.S. Secretary of State in an interview at iKNOW politics

I found myself close to apologizing yesterday for gender being the final plus factor in my support of Senator Clinton's run for the presidency. And then I thought screw this; why should I apologize for wanting a woman whose policies I mostly agree with to win the nomination? I have some issues with Senator Obama and some of his policy positions (though there isn't a huge gulf between their positions) and I honestly am a slight bit uneasy about some of his untested areas and some of his foreign policy statements and positions.

I like and agree with most of Senator Clinton's policy statements. She has experience, passion and level headedness AND she is a woman. In my lifetime there hasn't ever before been a candidate for any office I have been more pleased with supporting. And shame on me for even momentarily considering I might need to apologize for giving weight to gender.

More snippets of the Madeline Albright interview:

"My advice to women is to have a sense of confidence that what you have to offer is worthwhile. You can make a difference. You have to make a difference. Then, having made up your mind that you have been put on this earth to make a difference, you must use the resources that are available to you ..."