Stand up for Heather and Hillary

This has been the week of unanimous public lynching of famous wives. Am I the only person in the world who has found them unsettling?

The first victim was Hillary Clinton, in Tuesday's Democratic Debate at Drexel College, Philadelphia. Ahead of her rivals for the nomination by over 30 points in national polls, there seems to have been a collective decision that it was time to turn nasty. For two hours, we witnessed the televised equivalent of the murder of Caesar as colleagues from the Senate - Obama, Edwards, Biden, Dodd - competed to stick the knife in more effectively. It was the 'try to kill Hillary' debate, only encouraged by the moderator Tim Russert, a spectacle of male egos revealing their rage at the success of this intelligent, diminutive woman.

Now Hillary's a tough lady. She can handle it. But by the end of the two hours - a process which would have made most people cry within about ten minutes - she looked utterly drained. It was all against one. It was nasty.

The next day in London Heather Mills goes on telly and rants about her treatment by the British press. Clearly, this woman was very upset. But even if she is deluded, and has an inflated idea of her own importance, and says one thing and does another, is that really a reason to tear her apart? The reaction by the British press yesterday was so unanimously bitchy and vicious it sent shivers down my spine: not one columnist I could find in any of the main papers, thought she had a point.

The main point of outrage was that she compared herself to Diana and Kate McCann. Well, let me add fuel to the flames by comparing her to Hillary Clinton. I contend that in the case of both of these women, there is more bile and ill-feeling felt for them than they merit by any specific action. Most people, if they say they don't like Hillary Clinton, prefer to say "she makes my skin crawl" than talk about her record, and Lady Macca, after all, is just a former model and charity worker. There is a particular type of hatred reserved for outspoken women, and if they are married to much-loved figures so much the worse. Out comes the global husbandly bitterness at bossy wives and mothers. In this week of Hallowe'en, they became witches, and the men of the village bayed for their blood.