Through all the politicking and in the middle of the race to be seen as a champion of women’s rights, the Senate Ethics Committee came to the right decision Wednesday in voting to recommend Oregon Senator Bob Packwood’s expulsion.

The senator’s decision to voluntarily resign was more good news.

Packwood, accused by a sea of women of sexual misconduct, is a perfect case-in-point of how far women still must go to achieve equality.

In the wake of the 75th anniversary of women’s suffrage and the U.N.’s Fourth World Conference on Women, all of Packwood’s ilk should make an exodus from government.

Unfortunately, nowhere are the inequalities that women of the later 20th century experience so clearly seen as they are in the U.S. government, a system that brings together a supposed representative sample of Americans.

Hardly.

Of the 100-member Senate, there were seven women in 1993.

During the same year, women occupied 47 of 435 seats in the House of Representatives. In the executive and judicial branches of the federal government, women are even more scarce.

There are nine supreme court justices. Two are women. Of all the major cabinet posts, only the attorney general is a woman, and that from a president who said the executive cabinet should look like America.

Over half of the U.S. population is female.

Women make up seven percent of the Senate, about 11 percent of the House.

And no woman has ever been a serious candidate for president.

I’m afraid America falls far short of its claim of a representative government and on a larger scale, far short of its claim of gender equality, of that, Packwood made sure.

As a white male, I find those numbers — and Packwood’s actions — embarrassing and at the very least, disturbing.

By keeping women out of elected offices, the American people perpetuate an attitude that those of the female race are incapable of carrying out the functions of government. That’s absurd.

Most white European-American males have proven they are inept at making democracy work for everyone, but women have never had the chance.

As career male politicians stake more and more of a claim to top federal offices, experts agree that female candidates are finding it increasingly difficult to make serious runs.

But now more than ever, America needs fresh views, not stagnant ego-boosting candidates.

To that end, America needs women in top government posts, maybe even — heaven forbid — the presidency. There are currently, however, no female candidates in the race.

So, without her knowledge and certainly without her permission, I’m throwing one hat — or bonnet, rather — into the ring: my mom’s.

That’s right, my mother. Her political experience ends with a term on the local school board.

And her most endearing attribute is that her political experience ends with a term on the local school board.

She doesn’t cook. She hates to clean.

And she won’t give Congress a warm fuzzy for wasting taxpayer time and money.

Mom has an accounting and insurance background, so I figure she’s more qualified than the handful of ex-football stars and Hollywood dropouts that make popular candidates.

What’s more, she’s definitely more competent than Washington’s current double-bubba tag team.

So why not? If David Letterman can send his mom to cover the Olympics, can’t I run mine for president?

What’s the worst that could happen?

I suppose she could make lavish campaign promises and then get elected only to spend four, maybe eight, years trying to figure out the swivel chair in the Oval Office.

Boy, that would really be a switch.

And besides, Mom’s got her own swivel chair.

But if for no other reason, vote for Mom in ’96 because the first time Former Sen. Bob gets a little too grabby in the White House, she’ll plant his face in the Lincoln Bedroom wall.

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Chris Miller is a junior in journalism mass communication and philosophy from Marshalltown.