Could the normally apolitical U.S. Mint be laying down a counter, as it were, in favor of a November victory by Senator Clinton? The Washington Times recently reported that the Mint has released the latest coin in its, “first spouses,” collection.
Regressive Laura Bush, perhaps a bit behind the times, introduced the coin as one in the, “First Ladies,” series, but was corrected by the Mint: “spouse,” is the preferred nomenclature.
“We’re not predictors of the future,” said Greg Hernandez, a spokesman for the U.S. Mint. “But as the program was being developed, we thought somewhere down in American history, there is going to be a first spouse that may be a man.”
“So we just figured this was the best way to approach this correctly,” he said.
Of course, the issue may not be directly relevant this time around:
What to call a male “first spouse” could be a hot topic if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York Democrat, is elected president next year.
But a spokeswoman for the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, home to the popular First Ladies exhibit, pointed out that former President Bill Clinton would still have his title of “Mr. President.”
The fourth coin honors Dolley Madison, contains one-half ounce of gold, and has a $10 face value. The Mint will release four, “spouse” coins per year through 2016, press 40,000 of each, and sell them for $529.95 each. The first three coins sold out.
