Now even I want Natalie to shut up

I have intended to blog about this for several days and have forgotten. Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines, who is to be commended for overcoming her brief cave-in to forces that threatened her life, her family and her career, is not to be commended for her latest pronouncement. Maines is encouraging people to not even consider voting for a woman for president because "the country isn't ready for a woman president."

If Maines' statement is meant to help derail the candidacy of Sen. Clinton, it also does harm by supporting the spineless Democratic Party's excuse for keeping women off of presidential tickets. Maines should simply say that she is against Clinton's potential candidacy.

If her statement has nothing to do with Sen. Clinton and is just her opinion, it is harmful and weak. Every time we say "the country isn't ready for a woman president," we throw a bone to the patriarchy and its control of every institution in America. It is not our job to wait until the country is "ready," but rather, to present confident female candidates with strong campaigns.