Cooking to Conquer Is Not Selling Out : Hillary: She has shown intelligence, spunk and now, warmth; political spouses need not be insignificant others.

Last March, after all the fuss about Hillary Clinton’s famed cookie remark, I thought it would be fun to publish her favorite cookie recipe. Since we had a recipe from Barbara Bush in our files, we concocted a bipartisan bake-off, all in the spirit of election-year fun.

But what delighted our readers and the press has triggered a predictable reaction from a few grouches who seem to think that baking cookies is inconsistent with being a powerful and influential career woman. They claim that Hillary Clinton has been “made over” (apparently against her will since they’ve dubbed her a Stepford Wife) from an independent career woman into a kitchen-oppressed stay-at-home.

Good grief, let’s lighten up.

Why is a male candidate who kisses babies considered a smart politician, while his wife is accused of selling out if she hugs her own child or admits (gasp!) that she knows how to make cookies? Why is a presidential contender who colors his hair to bolster his image labeled a seasoned pro while the woman who changes her hairstyle is called a prisoner of beauty?

The truth, of course, is that the ideologues are disappointed that the cookie caper seems to blurring Hillary Clinton’s image of a perfect role model. What they saw in the first place was a powerful, competent lawyer, a Yalie. She was sharp-tongued and feisty, a kind of breakthrough woman that some rallied around and others railed against. What she has recently revealed is simply more of herself, her love for family and friends. Or maybe she’s just being politically canny, knowing that she can cook to conquer.

For those who have more of a stake in stereotypes than politics, a multifaceted modern woman like Clinton doesn’t cut it, especially when she’s willing to play to the crowd in order to help her husband become President.

There’s no doubt that most spouses of political candidates--here and abroad--take a back seat. Even Corazon Aquino kept a low profile while her husband was alive. In 1986, a few frustrated men in Washington founded the Denis Thatcher Society as a kind of coffee klatch for male spouses who had become insignificant others. Two years ago, after her husband Jim joined the Thatcher group, Rep. Pat Schroeder summed it up, “Spouses in this town are considered a bother.”

The predictable pundits are not really mourning the loss of their ideal Hillary as much as blaming her for not being the one running for President. Hillary Clinton is as intelligent and independent a political thinker as any male mover and shaker. Let her shake and bake.