Hey look, we at National Review are hardly above using events in the news to score an ideological point. But am I the only one who detects the distinct whiff of glee from the New York Times that one of our POWs is a woman? Seriously, you almost get the sense that there would be cheers in the newsroom if half of the POWs were female and — even better — if half the dead and wounded were women as well. I almost expect them to advocate a Title IX style lawsuit against the Marines.
Here’s how the editorial begins:
The news that one of the American soldiers taken captive by the Iraqis over the weekend is a woman serves as a reminder of how the American military has evolved, slowly and sometimes reluctantly, into an organization where the dangerous jobs of war are performed by both sexes. While women are still barred from some sorts of duty, the case for equal footing is gaining ground.
And here’s the closer:
A fuller integration of women into the American armed forces would of course carry the increased risk that women might desert, make mistakes or get killed. Or, they could outperform their male counterparts. It’s happened before.