As the advertisement used to tell women, “You’ve come a long way, baby!” They should have added the coda that, while progress is nice, there is still a long way to go.

Women have made enormous strides over the years, but why are we still so complacent with how far is left in our journey? When the figure is trotted out that a woman is paid half what a man earns for the same job, we shake our heads and sigh at the injustice of it all. Why aren’t we furious? Have we worked so hard to get where we are that the fight has gone out of us?

I am somewhat heartened to see how the political landscape has changed in recent years. It’s hard to remember, but less than 100 years ago, women weren’t allowed to vote, let alone hold an office. Now 17 of our 100 U.S. Senators and 90 out of 535 members of Congress are women. That’s a good start. But does that mean that America is finally prepared to put a woman in our highest office? Are we ready for the first female President? And if so, who will be the one to shatter the glass ceiling of the White House?

Two years ago, Secretary of State and former First Lady Elaine Barrish faced off against our current President Paul Garcetti and lost. Was this a case of sexism? If you compare Barrish’s experience and intellect to Garcetti, it’s difficult to think of any other reason why she lost. But Garcetti also had charm, that impossible-to-manufacture likability that carried him all the way through the campaign. The same qualities we admire in our men—ambition, drive, strength—are far more difficult for a woman to pull off. “Steely” on a man is sexy; on a woman, it means “cold.”

But losing the race might have been the best thing to ever happen to Elaine Barrish. Freed of the pressures of the campaign, she shed her image and her husband and has flourished as Secretary of State. The Ice Queen Melteth. In fact, she might be more popular than the man who beat her for the presidency – which I’m sure can’t sit well with the Oval Office.

In what may or may not be related news, the buzz in Washington is that Barrish’s mentor, Supreme Court Justice Diane Nash, may soon be stepping down. Her rumored replacement? None other than Elaine Barrish. Could this all be part of an organized effort to keep Elaine Barrish in her place, which is anywhere but the Oval Office? While Barrish would be a welcome addition to the Supreme Court, the appointment should be based on merit, not on a president’s insecurities. If these rumors turn out to be true, perhaps we should be questioning Garcetti’s motives more than celebrating the appointment.

No one really doubts that Elaine Barrish has the qualifications to run our country. She might even do it for half the salary we’re paying Garcetti. Of course, she’ll have to get past the ambitious current President, who seems determined to hold her back. Because the truth is, as far as we’ve come, there’s still a long way to go.

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