What the "E-Word" Means to Women

It's never a good day when I find myself agreeing with Harry Reid. The Senate Majority Leader is in high dudgeon over comments that former CIA Director Michael Hayden made about Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California during a recent appearance on "Fox News Sunday."

Along with other former and current members of the U.S. intelligence community, Hayden is worried about what is in a 6,600-page report on CIA interrogation techniques that has been prepared by the Senate intelligence committee, which Feinstein chairs.

While the report has not been released, portions are leaking out. The Washington Post reported recently that the Senate document accuses the CIA of intentionally misleading the government and the American people about interrogation methods.

Hayden attacked Feinstein, and crossed the line by making it personal. He insisted during the television interview that the objectivity of the report had been compromised because Feinstein has a "deep emotional feeling" that the CIA needs to change its ways when it comes to interrogations.

Emotional. Feeling. Those are the code words associated with women, rarely used when we're discussing men. Supposedly, men are not emotional; we're rational. We don't feel; we think.

Feinstein dismissed Hayden's remark as an "old male fallback position," but she stopped short of calling it sexist.

By going down a dirt road, and treating a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Senate so disrespectfully, Hayden embarrassed himself and the entire intelligence community. He ought to publicly apologize to Feinstein, and then conserve his voice. If the Senate report is as damning as the leaks suggest, the former CIA director may soon have some explaining to do.

Meanwhile, my friend isn't at all surprised to hear that Feinstein is, for her part, trying to downplay the incident.

"When this happens, you can't win either way," she said with a chuckle. "If you defend yourself, you show how emotional you are ... about being called emotional."

Brilliant. Thanks for the tutorial..

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com.