In law school, I had several conversations with woman and minority classmates about these issues, along with studying the supreme court cases on affirmative action. Most strikingly though, I observed the different standards applied to minorities (and women, though to a much lesser extent) when it came to admissions, and in the job search process. I tend to agree with the late Arthur Ashe, who felt that giving a minority a job or grad school admission, when a white candidate with the same qualifications would have no chance at that job or school admission, was actually demeaning to the minority person and counterproductive to the ultimate goal of a society "where 'because she’s a woman (or minority)' doesn’t have to be a factor either way." Good for you, for voting for Obama over Clinton because the candidate's qualifications and stance on issues are more important to you than his or her gender or skin color.

So know you know I'm a lot older than you… but I also feel the tension between believing it shouldn't matter and really wanting to see a woman in the highest office. You said it very well.

If that is the case, does this apply to other jobs besides public office? What about college and grad school admissions? Should otherwise less qualified candidates get the nod "because she's a woman?" Or "because she's a racial minority?"

The issue is on my mind because I've been reading "The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court" by Jeffrey Toobin and just finished a section about the court's decision curbing but not eliminating affirmative action.