International Women's Day, which will celebrate its official centenary in 2011, was born out of women's growing desire for equal rights and better working conditions in the industrial era in the U.S.

While Americans debate whether the United States is really ready for a female president (examples: Michelle Malkin believes that, "This country would certainly have no problem being led by a woman…;" Jess notes, "I hate myself for saying it, but I'm saying it anyway: America is not ready for a woman president."), Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been leading, healing, and rebuilding Liberia as its president since 2005. I'm a little disturbed that the idea to write about Ms. Johnson Sirleaf came from an ExxonMobil ad honoring her and other women in the op-ed pages of my newspaper, but there is it. (It's nice to think that about 1 or 2 cents of every $3.50 gallon of gas purchased is going to raise awareness that "women can.")