Fight of the Valkyries -- Maureen Dowd, New York Times (Commentary)
They are called the Amazon Warriors, the Lady Hawks, the Valkyries, the Durgas.
There is something positively mythological about a group of strong women swooping down to shake the president out of his delicate sensibilities and show him the way to war. And there is something positively predictable about guys in the White House pushing back against that story line for fear it makes the president look henpecked.
It is not yet clear if the Valkyries will get the credit or the blame on Libya. But everyone is fascinated with the gender flip: the reluctant men — the generals, the secretary of defense, top male White House national security advisers — outmuscled by the fierce women around President Obama urging him to man up against the crazy Qaddafi.
How odd to see the diplomats as hawks and the military as doves.
Read more ....
My Comment: This is the first time that I have posted an opinion piece from Maureen Dowd. But she is onto something when she observed (like Rush Limbaugh) that it is the women in President Obama's administration that are advocating hard line positions on foreign policy.
What is my take .... I have no problem when it comes to women advocating war policy. Margaret Thatcher comes to my mind right away. But this group does not have my confidence. U.S. Secretary of Defense Gates .... who knows something about what the U.S. military is capable of doing .... advocated the right approach a few weeks ago when it comes to conflicts like Libya .... and that is for the U.S. to stay away.
Unfortunately for all of us .... Gate's advice was ignored by President Obama.
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