Usually when pundits complain about the misogyny of mass media, I pay it no heed. Here in the warm environs of Chenango County, surely my higher mind is immune to such prevailing prejudice, right?

Not necessarily.

Earlier this week, when placing the story about the New Hampshire primary on the front page of The Evening Sun, I caught myself writing the headline “Primary wins for McCain, Hillary.”

Hillary!

Of course the published version you actually saw read “Primary wins for McCain, Clinton” -- as it should be. After I caught my faux pas, I wondered when it became acceptable to refer to the former First Lady, New York Senator and presidential hopeful by her first name only -- when all her male counterparts are more respectfully, and correctly, called in shorthand by their last names.

If you think about it, you’ve heard the name “Hillary” bandied about solely far more often than you’ve heard candidates called “John,” “Barack,” or “Mitt.”