... On a More Serious Note .....

Whatever the outcome of Tuesday's balloting for President of the United States, we are witnessing the latest development in an historical process that has been in the works for more than a century. "Breaking Barriers" is the title of this slideshow on msnbc.com, where a long and distingished list of "first women to ..." are recalled.

It's a great lead-in to the possibility of another "first woman to ..." being added to that list, depending on the outcome of "the upcoming" this Tuesday.

Earlier this year, during the height of the primary season, I was in Thailand - a very westward-looking nation, and a longtime ally of the United States. Inevitably, presidential campaigns in the U.S. would come up in discussion. Among those that seemed to attract the most attention was the campaign of Hillary Clinton which, it was noted, could have historic implications for America. I suspect that discussion has been renewed, following John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as a running mate.