Is there a gender issue regarding political spouses?

FILE- In this file photo taken Feb. 14, 2009, former Alaska Gov. Sarah
Palin greets her husband Todd at the finish line of the 2009 Tesoro
Iron Dog on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks, Alaska. E-mails
obtained by The Associated Press suggest Todd Palin was intimately
involved in decisions related to state government when his wife was
governor of Alaska. The e-mails show Todd Palin was included in
messages on a wide range of government and political issues. (AP
Photo/ Sam Harrel, File)

The traditional role of first spouse has evolved from the days of Eleanor Roosevelt to Hillary Clinton to Michelle Obama. Long gone are the days of carrying out some ceremonial duties and hosting tea parties.

The American public shouldn't be surprised to learn a politician has sought consultation and advisement and bounced ideas off his spouse. So why do some seem surprised that Todd Palin was "doing more than racing snowmachines" while wife Sarah Palin served as Alaska governor?

MSNBC.com and NBC news has obtained more than 3,000 pages of e-mails that show Todd Palin had a frequent presence in the governor's office, from monitoring union contract negotiations, being involved in a judicial appointment and having a say in state board appointments.The communications were released by the state of Alaska under its public records law. Officials offered 1,200 separate e-mails and withheld 243, claiming Todd Palin is protected as an unpaid government advisor.

I’m pretty sure that all husbands or wives exert at least some influence on the administration of their elected spouse and we’ve seen evidence of that in the past. Following Franklin Roosevelt's paralytic illness attack in 1921, Eleanor Roosevelt began serving as a stand-in for her incapacitated husband, making public appearances on his behalf.  Throughout the 1920s, Eleanor became increasingly influential as a leader in the New York State Democratic Party while Franklin used her contacts among Democratic women to strengthen his standing with them.

Hillary Clinton was a different kind of first lady publicly. As First Lady of Arkansas, her title for a total of twelve years (1979–1981, 1983–1992), Hillary was appointed chair of the Rural Health Advisory Committee by her husband where she successfully secured federal funds to expand medical facilities in Arkansas' poorest areas without affecting doctors' fees. When Bill Clinton was elected president, Hillary maintained an office in the West Wing, where the president's senior staff is clustered, rather than in the East Wing where the First Lady's offices traditionally are housed. Hillary is regarded as the most openly empowered presidential wife in American history since Eleanor Roosevelt.

Clinton's role in policy was no different from that of other White House advisors and Michelle Obama has shown that a woman's place in the 21st century is not just standing two steps behind your man. So in the case of Todd Palin, there seems to be a gender issue in play-- who might criticize a husband playing a significant role behind the scenes, but not a wife?

Responding to the msnbc.com article, Tom Van Flein, an attorney for the Palins, said in an e-mail Friday to NBC News that Todd Palin's role as an "active advisor" to his wife should come as no surprise "to most Alaskans, and to the millions of people who read 'Going Rogue,'" Palin's autobiography. Like many married couples, including political 'power couples,' it is common for a spouse to play the role of key advisor to the other spouse," he wrote. "The Palins were no different. Todd Palin had official and unofficial duties, but one thing was clear: he was a key advisor to Governor Palin and involved in her efforts to improve the State of Alaska."

Todd Palin, just like any other political spouse, was not a third-party outsider, but an invited advisor. His advice was solicited for the well-being of the State of Alaska. But Todd Palin is in a precarious situation as "first dude." Todd Palin will be judged for being an advisor, just as he would be judged if he refused to join his wife at party conferences. Frankly, it's refreshing to see a political couple that worked together. I've seen enough of the political wife who has decided that even though her husband has done something terrible to her, she feels an obligation to stick with him, sending the message to our kids that it's okay for husbands to wander. The Palins have sent a positive message of family, support, and strength in numbers.

It's unfair to think that any powerful woman who uses her spouse as a support act would be seen as weak and gutless and, although the public records law is extremely important, do we really need to know Sarah Palin sent her husband instructions to stock up on "fresh fruit and veggies" for the kids?