In last night’s Commpassion Forum, Campbell Brown asked Hillary Clinton to name her favorite Bible story and she named…the story of Esther:
But clearly, for me, the recent Purim holiday for Jews raised the question of Esther. And I have been — ever since I was a little girl — a great admirer of Esther. And I used to ask that that be read to me over and over again, because there weren’t too many models of women who had the opportunity to make a decision, to take a chance, a risk that, you know, was very courageous.
That strikes me as a rather revealing model for the woman who would be president. Unlike, say, Deborah (the prophetess and only female judge in pre-monarchic Israel), Esther achieved her position of power and influence as the result of her role as royal spouse: the King of Persia chooses her to replace the queen who would not dance for his guests. Think about that.