From Saturday’s Austin American-Statesman, "Women voters a battleground in 2004 election":

Just 37 minutes before the National Organization for Women was to host a forum for Democratic presidential candidates here late Friday afternoon, the Bush administration did what friends and foes alike say it does best: befuddle its adversaries.

In this case, it was a three-page opinion from the federal Department of Education released at the curious time of 4:27 p.m. Friday upholding the basic provisions of Title IX, the federal law that expanded opportunities for female student athletes.

For more than a year, the law had been under review by a commission assembled by the Bush administration in response to conservative critics of the law arguing that Title IX hurt school sports programs for males.

Whether the timing of the Title IX opinion was deliberately calculated to undercut the NOW forum — the Education Department closed at 5 p.m., after which representatives could not be contacted for comment — its substance certainly came as a surprise to the hundreds of feminists in attendance.

Say, thanks, George! Can we gals also look forward to an Executive Order confirming your support of the 19th Amendment?