Anything a man can do

It was a moment that passed mostly without notice, partly with a bit of cynicism.

In one of the news conferences following the Brian Nichols murder spree, a re-porter asked why a woman was guarding a male prisoner.

The response: because a woman can do anything a man can do.

I must admit I rolled my eyes as I knew that answer had been scripted on official talking points somewhere. Some PC do gooder scribbled the words knowing they would come in handy during the crisis.

Of course women deserve equal opportunities. Of course any person performing the same service is entitled to equal pay and promotions. Of course I expect that if a woman was hired for a job, she should be expected to do it the same as any other person drawing the same salary with the same job description.

But as we heard over and over, here was 5 foot grandmother asked to guard a 6 foot 210 pound ex football player, who happened to be a black belt.

Anything?

The answer revealed itself over the course of the ordeal. First came the news that Nichols was being apprehended. Then we saw the image of Nichols being escorted out of the apartment complex by a woman. It seemed like a quiet, de-fiant moment. But the truth wasn’t revealed in that photo op.

The truth we learned from 26-year-old Ashley Smith.

Smith recalled being held “captive” for hours, in a plain spoken, compelling manner. She told how she was accosted by a nervous, trigger-happy killer and subdued him without ever laying a finger on him.

In appealing to Nichols’ humanity, Smith helped transform the aggressor into a man who realized his mistake, asked for help, and surrendered without inci-dent.

In the end, a woman brought down the same killer who was practically freed by one. She did it with the quiet strength that was probably more effective than trying to physically overpower the suspect.

The chief says a woman can do anything a man can do. He may be right, but could a man have done what Smith did?

Would he?