Hillary Clinton has received a German media media prize. Apparently, she "represents in an exemplary way women's rights."

This sort of praise for Hillary Clinton has always amused me. This is a woman who married a rising politician, and then acquired influence and power through him. One could say that she earned her power the old-fashioned way -- she married it.

Of course, she is an intelligent and accomplished woman. But when we're going to talk about exemplifying women's rights, other names come to mind: Condoleezza Rice, for example. Even -- frightening thought -- Barbara Boxer's career does a better job of exemplifying women's rights. She rose from being a Marin County politician to being a US senator on her own political skills . . . not her husband's.