U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., has finally announced her run for the presidency. According to her former friend, political pundit Dick Morris, Clinton will run on the "Mom Strategy," which, Morris says, "gives her a credible way to tack to the left on the war."

Clinton launched her mom strategy on the ABC television show "The View" when a co-host asked her if being a mom gives "a would-be president kind of an edge up on, say, a male rival?" Hillary replied, "Well, you know, nobody's ever been in a position to ask that question, because we've never had a mother who ever ran for or held that position."

Wrong, Hillary, you're not the first mom to run for president. That niche in the history books goes to Ellen McCormack, mother of three daughters and one son, and even a grandmother, when she ran for president in 1976.

Running for the Democratic Party nomination for president, McCormack campaigned in 18 states (in chronological order): New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Florida, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Georgia, Nebraska, Michigan, Maryland, Tennessee, Oregon, Kentucky, Rhode Island, Kentucky, South Dakota, New Jersey and California. She failed to win any primaries, but she won some delegates and received 22 votes for president at the Democratic National Convention, more votes than were cast for Sens. Frank Church of Idaho, Henry "Scoop" Jackson of Washington, Fred Harris of Oklahoma or Vice President Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota.

McCormack was the first woman to receive Secret Service protection as a presidential candidate in a major party. She was also the first woman to receive federal matching funds for her primary campaign.

In 1980, McCormack ran again for president, that time as the candidate of New York's Right To Life Party. She received 32,327 votes in New York, New Jersey and Kentucky, three of the states where she succeeded in getting on the ballot.

McCormack played a major role in the rise of the pro-life movement. Her leadership enabled the then-young pro-life movement to flex its muscles and demonstrate political courage, determination and perseverance. After her campaigns for president, politicians who had been timid about saying they opposed abortion and Roe v. Wade came out of the woodwork and confidently stated their views. McCormack was also important in the growth of the conservative movement in New York State.

It is curious that, like Clinton, The Associated Press also ignored McCormack's groundbreaking campaign for president. An AP news story, timed to coincide with Clinton's proclamation of her mom strategy, omitted McCormack from a list of eight "women who have run for president," a list that included several whose insignificant campaigns terminated almost before they got started, such as Pat Schroeder's. Continued...