Running the tiny state of Massachusetts is going to seem like a fool's errand to Swift after eight weeks of being the full-time mother of newborn twins and a toddler. The heroine of Pearl Buck's classic takes a break from working in the fields to give birth to a child - and returns to work the field before the sun sets on the day. We were made for this job, guys. Most women I know can hatch a baby and have dinner ready by 6. And thanks to managed care, most women have to get back on their feet that fast.
Women can manage a household while nursing a baby, a ruptured disk or a broken heart.
We all know mothers are supposed to show up for duty even if suffering from the flu. Well, I know women who haven't missed a day at their post even while undergoing chemotherapy or planning the funeral of a child. Swift has a staff, a car and driver, a helicopter, a fax, a cell phone and the state police at her disposal. A woman could run a Third-World country with that kind of support system. Women run PTAs, for goodness sake.