Obama's Own Personal War On Women

For someone quick to accuse his political enemies of sexism, President Obama sure doesn’t have a lot of women working for him.

Obama, who made women’s issues a core of his reelection bid, has nominated men to serve in three of his most prominent national security positions, including secretary of state, where Sen. John F. Kerry (D) was named last month to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton. The president on Monday announced former senator Chuck Hagel for the defense job and counterterrorism adviser John O. Brennan to head the CIA.

The moves have disappointed some supporters who said they fear, with Clinton’s departure, a paucity of females among Obama’s top advisers, particularly in the traditionally male-dominated field of defense and security. …

Obama is committed to “finding the very best people for each job,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday, when asked about the lack of women among the second-term appointments. “And that’s what he’s done today, and that’s what he’ll continue to do.”

I’m of the opinion that gender shouldn’t matter in these sort of things. I agree with Secretary Carney about “finding the very best person for each job,” rather than trying to achieve some arbitrary gender ratio.

But then, unlike the Obama administration, I’m not a supporter of affirmative action, and I don’t support racial or gender ratios for hiring.