One of the most hypocritical things I have heard from the mouths of liberals is that race and gender do not matter.

The fact is, not only does the far left not believe it, but race and sex are oftentimes the ONLY thing that matter to them. And the 2008 Presidential Primary race underscores that pretty heavily.

I can't tell you how many times I have heard someone on the left say they want to vote for Hillary because she would be our first woman President. Or they want to vote for Obama because he would be our first black President.

Come again? If race and sex didn't matter, would we be COUNTING the number of women and/or minorities who hold the office? If they don't matter, can't a white male represent the country every bit as well as they can?

The fact is, to many of these people, race and gender DO matter. And while I would be inclined to be sympathetic to their cause, as a member of the race and gender they choose to villify, I realize it's against my own self interest. Heck, I'd be first against the wall when the revolution comes!

It is not true that America is not ready for a black president. It may be (and I hope it is) simply that they don't wish to vote for a President BECAUSE he is black. Same with a woman President. Why should the presence or absence of melatonin and/or a phallus automatically qualify one for the office any more than it would disqualify them?

The truth is, it shouldn't. And for most conservatives it doesn't. I know several hard core "God and Country" rednecks who would sport Colin Powell bumper stickers if he were to run for President. Or Condoleeza Rice. People they respect, frankly, because they earned respect, not because they pandered for it as a form of reparations from the long dead ghosts of bigots that, sadly, once dominated our country.

I've been called to task repeatedly, for instance, for "bashing" Hillary Clinton. In all of my "bashing", I have not knowingly uttered an untrue word about the woman, nor have I said anything about her that I would not say about a man who embodied the same views she holds. I respond to Hillary Clinton in the same manner as I would any other political candidate with the same platform. She disgusts me, and I sincerely hope that she is not our next President. And I will do my part to try to ensure that it doesn't happen. That's my POV in a nutshell.

When (not if) our country fields a woman Presidential candidate that I feel is capabpe of fulfilling the role, I will not only vote for her, I would actively campaign for her. See, I want the best for my country, and that's not specific to gender.

But to some individuals, gender and race will always override.