All of these talking heads keep saying, "She's a Hockey/Soccer Mom." They are lauding her earthy mom role.

However, she does have a 4 month old special needs child. My thought is (because I love this about the French Social Security system) - is that most working class women could not afford to make this decision at all. The French actually give you MONEY - money to families - to help them in those first few years.

While she is traipsing around the world - some young family with a new baby is worrying about how to heat their home this winter. The mom is probably heading back to work . . . and if her child is a special needs child - she has even more juggling of work/mom/wife/self balance. There is no safety net.

My greatest hope for Obama/Biden is a paradigm shift where we say: Feminism opened doors. But family is also important. And if you or your husband would like to stay home for a year or two to take care of your child . . . here's what we are going to do to grow our job base with well paying jobs, health insurance is no longer an issue, the value of the dollar will increase so your can go farther . . .

In the meantime - she's going to traipse around the world when many women or men would LOVE the opportunity that her cushy job in Alaska provides her to have a MOBILE over her desk and a sippy cup on her mouse pad. Oy - maybe they'll put a GRACO collapsible crib and mobile on her plane? Her position provides PRIVILEGE that the average working mom does not have.