Men, women and power

This morning when I woke up I rolled over and switched on the radio to hear the news that Barack Obama was nominated as the US Democratic presidential candidate by acclamation — orchestrated by Hillary Clinton, in connivance with Obama, as a way to resolve the dilemma of her recalcitrant delegates who were refusing to release their votes even after she asked them to.

Most clever lady! A lesson in how to relinquish a position of power and become even more powerful in the bargain. The world is agape at this woman who is now one of the most powerful political figures in the world.

And then there's Bill. Bill & Hillary. Hillary & Bill. A public personal relationship that's had tongues wagging and heads heating up for years. And now comes Michelle Obama, who will most certainly not be a traditional president's wife. What? Another presidential duo?

It's well known that US presidents' wives have traditionally played an important role in their husbands' presidential lives — and probably had more influence on domestic and international politics than most people care to admit. Laura Bush, in her quiet, apparently-shrinking-violet way, has undoubtedly kept her erratic, unstable husband from inflicting even more damage on the world.

So what's new? There's a famous saying that behind every great man there's a great woman. Well, that's OK, as long as it's done in private and the little woman keeps her proper place. But that's changing now. The women in these duos are no longer afraid to exercise their power in public and the men don't feel threatened by it. Human beings are such a weird lot. Everybody knows what's going on and talks about it in whispers, but goes berserk when it becomes public.

So what is this? Well, it's just masculine and feminine energy in balance, working in tandem, maybe the beginning of the end of polarization on the 3D stage...