The XX Factor: What women really think.

Race, Sex ... and McCain

Now that Hillary's won New Hampshire everyone's falling all over themselves to ascribe racism as the cause —just as if she'd lost it would vindicate the view that Americans (unlike Brits or Germans) are fundamentally sexist. But I agree with Juliet that the New Hampshire result wasn't because in the privacy of the voting booth people won't vote for a black man. In the end, it was a close race between a woman and black man. If sexism and racism were the voters' secret vices, wouldn't we be talking about the stunning John Edwards' comeback? I hope we aren't going to have to listen to the sexist/racist dirge every time Hillary and Obama swap wins. Whoever gets the nomination, New Hampshire voters will have made her or him or her a better candidate. It would have been bad for either Hillary or Obama to feel she or he was the anointed one.

I agree with XXers that Obama's speech was better than Hillary's. I wanted more from her than plodding bromides. (And speaking of style [and sexism], I will dare to say it—was anyone else distracted by her jacket? Did she pull a Scarlett O'Hara and fashion a victory outfit out of the drapes at the hotel?)  But I found myself surprised by how moved I was by McCain's speech. I had written him off months ago as a gutsy, erratic, cranky guy whose moment had passed. But he has shown courage in standing by the war and the surge. (The Washington Post had an interesting editorial noting that none of the Democrats at the last debate were willing to recognize the progress the surge has brought.) And of all the candidates last night, McCain was the one who acknowledged something that people may not want to hear: that the new president will face not just recalcitrant insurance companies, but a world full of violent enemies.