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"I fear what will happen is that they will try to work out some sham solution with the company," Burk said in an interview with CNN. "The company has a huge responsibility here not to undermine its first female CEO. ...
"It does put IBM in a tough spot, but it's all their own making," she continued. "They've had nine years to help this club come into the 21st century. They've done nothing about it. Now, they're both in a bind. There's only one way to solve this -- well, there are two. IBM can pull out and say, 'We want nothing else to do with this. These are not the values of our company.'
"Or the club can relent and say, 'We welcome women as members.' Those are the only two options that are viable that are going to wash with the public."
Not even close.
The first time the all-male membership flap raised its head, most people simply yawned. Polls at the time showed American evenly split on the issue. When the question was framed another way, whether it was all right for executives of companies with policies against gender discrimination to belong to Augusta, 52 percent responded "Yes," and 35 percent "No."
Most people apparently bought the argument that as a private club, members had the right to associate with whomever they pleased. Johnson took pains as the fight escalated to moderate his tone. By the time the tournament rolled around, he made Augusta National's membership rules sound no more exclusionary than the Girl Scouts.
What's been overlooked so far is that Rometty hardly needs help. She didn't get where she is by issuing veiled threats or relying on other people to fight her battles. If playing golf alongside a cadre of aging corporate chieftains on the manicured lawn at Augusta matters to her, she'll find a way to get it done. After all, she's got more than enough experience beating them head-to-head at much tougher games than golf.
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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