I know I was up in arms yesterday over the continuous silly worrying about Hillary Clinton being "too feminine" or "too Mommy-like" to be a competitive nominee. Indeed, I don't think "femininity" will be a problem for Clinton, who voters know is more hawkish that the other leading Democrats on national security. But that doesn't mean the very fact that Clinton is a woman -- regardless of any of her personal attributes -- won't remain challenging for her among a relatively narrow slice of the electorate. Surprising fact of the day: As the Christian Science Monitor reports, Iowa is one of only two states (along with Mississippi) never to have elected a female governor or Congressional representative. (Back in 2005, Ann suggested some reasons this might be the case.) That makes it all the more extraordinary that Clinton has pulled ahead in the polls there, however narrowly. --Dana Goldstein
