Schroeder: Appoint a Woman at Justice

REP. Patricia Schroeder (D) of Colorado would like to see a woman as United States attorney general but not just to break another gender barrier.

However, she told a Monitor breakfast yesterday, "I always like to see a glass ceiling break," and a woman has never held 1 of the 4 inner Cabinet posts.

She says a woman as attorney general is likely to deal more effectively with the problem of violent crime than men have.

"On the Judiciary Committee, I have lived through 12 years of attorneys general, and each one has to come in and prove that he's more macho than the last one, and he's for, you know, capital punishment for parking tickets," she said.

"The reason I would like to see a woman is I think [women] would not be afraid to start attacking the violence in our society," which she said has only worsened under the get-tough approach. She suggests that one perspective women bring is the personal experience of greater vulnerability to violent crimes.

If President Clinton nominates Janet Reno, a longtime state prosecutor from Dade County, Fla., says Representative Schroeder, "We're in great shape."