Want to Go Into Politics? Better be a Beauty Queen FirstS  The
Miss America pageant used to be a great place to see incredibly
conventionally attractive women answer questions about world
peace and then march around in bathing suits. It's still a great
place for that, but it's also a great place to get a peek into a
sort of crystal ball of American politics, a showcase for women
who may use their beauty queen crown as a launching pad to
actual, non Disney Princess-style clout in the not-so-distant
future, a preview of future female powerhouses. There she is.
Madame President. Hail to the chiffon.  Slate's Hilary Levey
Friedman wonders if the Miss Whatever-cum-politician is a
reflection of a marked increase in intelligence of Miss America
pageant contestants, or if it's just another moment in America's
decades-long swirl around the toilet of irredeemable stupidity.
She points out that while Sarah Palin may be the most famous
beauty queen politico, she's not going to be the last, and in
fact, she may have been