Before Sarah Palin, before Hilary Clinton, there was Geraldine Ferraro....
From the 1984 Vice-Presidential debate:
George H.W. Bush: "Let me help you with the difference, Ms. Ferraro, between Iran and the embassy in Lebanon....:
Geraldine Ferraro: "Let me say first of all that I almost resent, Vice President Bush, your patronizing attitude, that you have to teach me about foreign policy."
From her concession speech upon being soundly thrashed in the election:
"For two centuries, candidates have run for president. Not one from a major party ever asked a woman to be his running mate -- until Walter Mondale," she said. "Campaigns, even if you lose them, do serve a purpose. My candidacy has said the days of discrimination are numbered."