Amy Sullivan on "Mitt the Man"

Amy Sullivan at the New Republic looks at Mitt Romney's performance through a distinctly female lens, and in the process pens a piece that is equal parts humor and incisive observation. I, too, was struck my Romney's tale of seeking out smart, capable women for his cabinet when he was Governor of Massachusetts. But, I had a slightly different take on that part of the debate. Sullivan was struck by the fact that Mitt seemed amazed there were so many smart, capable women out there available for hire. I was struck by the fact that he had to go looking for them, that in the world of wealth and business acumen he inhabited, he did not already know dozens of smart, capable women. This was 2002, not 1792 after all. I knew plenty of smart, capable women in 2002, women capable of leading a branch of state government and serving in a governor's cabinet in half a dozen states. I would not have had to go looking for them.

That said, we all remember the last time a GOP presidential nominee went in search of a smart, capable woman for a prominent role in government. That was how, in 2008, those of us in the lower 48 got to meet Sarah Palin.