Of Feminism and Steel Magnolias

When I read the paragraph below about Laura Bush I knew I had to share this article.

"And now, dear reader, we come to the essence of the conflict between conservative women and liberal women. We saw it in full play this year with the verbal clawing, spitting and hissing perpetrated against Sarah Palin, an authentic feminist if there ever was one. It is the age-old cat fight, the female equivalent of the barroom brawl among men. Except that when it comes to conservative women vs. liberal women, it is the real feminists vs. the faux-feminists."

I'm not a cheerleader for Laura Bush or the Republican party for that matter, but I agree with Kyle-Anne Shiver that "there seems to be no one anywhere with any dirt on the woman. She has survived six decades without a notable fall from grace, and nearly an entire decade in the most public glare there is. She is, by all accounts, the epitome of grace and elegance, qualities trashed with a vengeance by faux-feminists for the past 40 years. In one fell, eight-year swoop, Mrs. Bush has restored authentic feminism, being for all the world to see, her own woman. So secure is she in her own skin that pressure to morph into the garish pretentiousness of 'I am Woman; hear me roar,' has finally taken the bruise for which it's been cruising all these many years."

Here's how Shiver ends her article: "Laura Bush has proven herself an authentic feminist, first and foremost, by running her house well, and unencumbered by power-grabbing foibles of her own. Could America really ask for more? I think not. Quiet competence in the real world rarely gets any notice, but without it the whole world quickly heads asunder. Thank goodness for Laura Bush and her reestablishing the confines of the highest non-elected office in the land. Unheralded by most, she is indeed a great lady."

So let's hear it for the outgoing first lady. May she leave behind her an example so compelling that the incoming first lady aspires to imitate it. And I recommend you read the complete article, Laura Bush, Steel Magnolia. You won't be sorry you invested the time.