Letters to the Editor
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The flawed analogy
Geri Ferraro and the people who are defending her are using, I believe, a flawed analogy.
When Mondale chose Ferraro, when Reagan chose O'Connor, when Bush chose Thomas, they were looking for someone who fit a pre-existing description. They were looking for a woman or a black guy. A woman or a black guy that was fully qualified for the position, certainly, but "woman or black guy" was part of the criteria. And that was totally justifiable in those, as in many cases; we traditionally appoint a person of an ethnic minority to head the EEOC, for example.
But that's not what's going on with Obama -- or Hillary, for that matter. In their cases, they each came up through the system (maybe quicker in his case, but no matter), and have presented us with the opportunity to choose a woman or a black guy.
That is, in the earlier examples, the intent, the drive, came from "above", from those doing the choosing; the President or whoever was making the offer. In the current, terribly ironic situation, the intent is coming from the candidates themselves; they're the ones offering us the choice between them.
And that's why this is truly historic.