History Disses Hillary, Chooses Cristina

It's a footnote that Hillary thought she would earn, the first First Lady elected to follow her husband as national leader, but it is not to be. Instead that history was made in Argentina this morning as Cristina Kirchner developed a winning lead, with 44% of the vote against eleven opponents.

Mrs. Kirchner will replace her husband, Nestor Kirchner, as president and become Argentina's first elected female president and the first spouse in history to be elected to succeed a spouse. Eva Peron's succession in Argentina 50 years ago was extra-constitutional in that no vote gave her the office.

President Nestor Kirchner announced last summer that he would not seek re-election.

Modern democracies have chosen women as leaders fairly frequently, the most memorable being Lady Margaret Thatcher in Great Britain, who led her country in a war against… Argentina.

UPDATE and CORRECTION: Mrs. Peron wished to run for the office of Vice President, but didn't in spite of widespread support. She did not succeed her husband.

Hillary Clinton is expected to continue her campaign in spite of the disappointment.