Obama Giving Cold Shoulder to Women in 2nd Term

Oh the irony. After Mitt Romney was ridiculed for touting his lame, quasi-offensive hiring practices in the second presidential debate this fall, it seems Obama’s the one who’s lacking a feminine presence in his midst.

In an Oval Office meeting on Dec. 29, 11 of President Obama’s top advisers stood before him discussing the heated fiscal negotiations. The 10 visible in a White House photo are men. In the days since, Mr. Obama has put together a national security team dominated by men, with Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts nominated to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as the secretary of state, Chuck Hagel chosen to be the defense secretary and John O. Brennan nominated as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Admittedly, this isn’t all Obama’s fault. Susan Rice was headed for the State Department, before John McCain unceremoniously ripped her page from the binder. Overall, though 43 percent of Obama appointees have been women (up from about 33% during the Bush years) the ratio is no better than Bill Clinton’s. [NY Times]