To be safe at the expense of the liberty of other people is a difficult equation.

I am by nature a worried optimist.

I am the only high-ranking U.S. official to ever meet with Kim Jong-il, and we are the same height and both wear high heels.

But I do not believe that the world would be entirely different if there were more women leaders. Maybe if everybody in leadership was a woman, you might not get into the conflicts in the first place. But if you watch the women who have made it to the top, they haven't exactly been non-aggressive - including me.

Whatever the job you are asked to do at whatever level, do a good job because your reputation is your resume.

This is pure speculation, but for a period of time, a lot of getting into a party was through fundraising and volunteer work, and Republican women had more time to do that than democratic women, who were out there getting jobs.

The cover-up, more than the initial wrongdoing, is what is most likely to bring you down.