When politicians on both sides of the aisle imbibe a heady swig of political correctness and boldly come out swinging in favor of requiring women to register for the draft, it represents the triumph of ideology over biology.

Feminists have long pursued the goal of putting women in direct combat with the enemy on the front lines. Doing so, however, ignores a simple fact: ordinary women who sign up for careers in the military are unlikely to want to sacrifice life and limb on the altar of feminist ambitions.

Of course women today and throughout history have played a critical role in keeping the nation safe. More than 200,000 American women proudly serve in our military today, most in medical, administrative or other support roles.

But combat is a bloody, nasty business that demands manliness. This virtue that dare not speak its name includes the readiness and aptitude for extreme brutality, including the slaughter of another human being face-to-face. A society that forces women to do this dirty job is a society that has lost its way.