Norman Mailer foresees female president

But she'll have to measure up to the men first

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- Sure, Norman Mailer says, he could see a woman becoming president someday.

But, says the famed writer who once famously battled with feminists, it would only be if she was absolutely "more impressive than any man around."

"You can see how high I'm setting the mark," he said.

The 77-year-old author, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner for "The Executioner's Song" and "The Armies of the Night," said he's working on a book that may be his last major effort.

"It's a secret what this book is about, and it's big," Mailer told the Television Critics Association. He is the subject of a Public Broadcasting Service "American Masters" special airing in October.

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