Since McCain first announced Sarah Palin as the V.P. candidate—in an obvious move to win over Hillary supporters still unsure about Barack Obama—I’ve been waiting for a female to pull a Matt Damon and point out how ridiculous her candidacy is. And who better than Hillary Clinton, if she actually meant it, speaking not as a political figure but as a woman? As the G.O.P uses accusations of sexism to denounce any criticism of Palin or questioning of her credentials, we need a Hillary, an Oprah, a Maya Angelou or even an Angelina Jolie to speak up and say, “We need to elect the best candidate, not the female (or black or Catholic) candidate.”

The reason most women are so excited by the prospect of a female Commander-in-Chief isn’t really about having a woman in office. It’s about having someone in office who is aware of and willing to advocate for the challenges and decisions that face women in this country. And in my mind Barack Obama—with his support of equal pay for equal work and Roe v. Wade—is more a feminist that the Palin/McCain ticket will ever be. By letting the G.O.P use her sex as a campaign weapon, Sarah Palin is taking a huge step backward and letting women everywhere down. I’d rather wait another eight years for a female presidency than see Palin win it now by simultaneously playing the part of a macho N.R.A. life-timer and a sex toy for the G.O.P.’s benefit. 

So while we wait for Hillary to step up and speak her mind, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey give us a taste of feminine intelligence and wit, in this hilarious skit from last Saturday’s SNL: