Pat Buchanan: 'Let's Hope' America Doesn't Elect Woman President Until '2040 or 2050'

Conservative author Pat Buchanan made a joke on PBS's McLaughlin Group Friday destined to anger a lot of women.

When asked when America will elect its first female president, Buchanan said, "Let's hope" it's not before "2040 or 2050" (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):

At the end of a discussion about the small number of women in Congress, McLaughlin asked his guests, “When will the United States elect a female president?”

Buchanan answered, “2040 or 2050.”

“That late?” asked McLaughlin.

“Let’s hope so,” Buchanan responded before laughing.

Newsweek’s Eleanor Clift predictably replied, “How about 2016, Hillary Clinton?”

“Hillary has a duty to her gender to run for president?” asked McLaughlin.

“She doesn’t have a duty,” answered Clift, “but a lot of women, and some men, were disappointed that.” She was cut off before likely saying there were many that were disappointed when Clinton didn’t beat Obama for the nomination back in 2008.

There are probably a lot more of such folks now given the current White House resident's performance.

National Review’s Rich Lowry diplomatically offered, “When you have the right woman at the right time, it’ll happen when the country is ready for it.”

The Chicago Tribune’s Clarence Page was with Clift saying, “Hillary Clinton 2016.”

“But there’s no Republican vice president even now,” objected Buchanan. “They're not even considering any woman for vice president on the Republican ticket.”

Out of nowhere, McLaughlin gave the definitive answer as “2028.”

Unfortunately, he didn’t explain why.

As for Clinton, she's certainly the odds-on favorite to be the Democrat nominee in 2016 if she runs.

If Mitt Romney is president at the time, she'd be going against an incumbent likely with a far better economy than what we have today making him tough to beat.

If Obama is president having won reelection, no Democrat has successfully succeeded a Democrat president since James Buchanan followed Franklin Pearce in 1857.

Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson obviously followed Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy respectively due to deaths in office.

As such, if Clinton doesn't either run or win in 2016, who is the woman on the horizon that can make it all the way to the White House?