Give Obama a Break on Hiring Women!

So, here is the NY Times raising a confused eyebrow at the dearth of female hires in the Obama White House:

…Mr. Obama’s recent nominations raised concern that women were being underrepresented at the highest level of government and would be passed over for top positions. […]
“It’s not so much about checking a box, like on a census form,” said Tracy Sefl, a Democratic political consultant in Washington. “It’s about the qualitative properties that the candidate takes to the position. In this case you’re talking about tremendous women, and then we get a whole bunch more white guys.”

The White House responds that it hires the right person for each job and that qualifications count more than gender.

Which is sensible and as it should be. The “right person for the job” should be the right person, even if that person is a dreaded “white guy.” Or a gay guy. Or a woman with seven kids.

That’s not to say there are no women qualified for these posts — it’s quite possible that there are scores of them, but the president and his team simply do not know them and are not aware. The president, after all, can’t know everyone.

In which case, it might be incredibly helpful if someone in the White House compiled information on qualified female candidates and put them all together — in something like a binder.

Yeah, that’s the ticket! A binder full of the resumes and backgrounds of qualified women he may not be aware of, so he can broaden his choices, and perhaps find a woman who is precisely the right person for the job.

Putting women in binders. What a stupid idea. I’m really glad this president doesn’t do that. What a crazy, insulting, sexist and out-of-touch thing to do!

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Take off her binders! Take off her binders!