Fear of anti-feminism stopping proper debate?

When John McCain chose Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate, he was clearly trying to gain female votes. Which, as I said in an earlier post, it offends me that McCain thinks Clinton's women supported her simply because she was a woman, instead of believing in the issues she stood for.

There's something else that upsets me about Palin. The fact that when a man attacks Palin politically, they're instantly said to be anti-feminist and they're attacking her sex rather than (serious) lack of experience. I think it's great when a woman succeeds to the highest postitions that exist, but that doesn't mean I want that woman in there simply because she's a woman. Feminism is equality, not that notion that women should be treated differently and used as political moves and thrust into top positions because people are scared of seeming unfriendly to women.

Such equality means that Obama/Biden should be able to bring up Palin's lack of experience without being treated unfairly by the media. Of course it goes both ways. Remember that Hilary Clinton was labeled a "bitch" because she is tough and could hold a great debate with Senator Obama. When will we get to the point when we can just let people debate without worrying about sex, race, or any other discriminating factor?