WASHINGTON -- Most of the 14 women senators vote like their male colleagues when it comes to war and peace.

Only four women senators voted last fall against the resolution authorizing the use of military force against Iraq. That vote destroys my theory that women would be more wary about resorting to arms to achieve foreign policy ends.

I was thinking that the hand that rocks the cradle would avoid a military solution, if possible.

Wrong -- except for the four female senators who voted "nay." They were Barbara Mikulski, D-Md.; Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.; Patty Murray, D-Wash.; and Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

I interviewed 10 of the senators who were among those featured in a just-opened photographic and audio exhibit titled "Changing the Face of Power" at the Smithsonian Institute.

The exhibit is the brainchild of Seattle photographer Melina Mara and will run until September.

None of the senators seemed too comfortable when the subject of the war against Iraq came up. All indicated they were relieved the war was won quickly but it was clear to me that they were not ready to discuss the pros and cons of the conflict in depth.

They all seemed quite certain that the United States would elect a woman president in the not-too-distant future.

Stabenow predicted that "in just a few years, we will have a woman running for president and vice president."

Boxer said a female would be elected president within 15 years. She ruled herself out of any bid for the White House, saying: "I'm just happy doing the work I am doing."

"There's no doubt in my mind there will be a woman president," she added. "I'm very willing to say I think Sen. (Hilary Rodham) Clinton has what it takes to go the distance."

Clinton, a New York Democrat, was her usual super-cautious self when I broached controversial subjects with her. Asked about President Bush's policy of preemptive war, she replied with a non-committal "hmmm."

Among the women senators, most of the betting is that Clinton will seek the presidency in 2008. She has ruled out 2004, saying: "Absolutely not."

But she has been much more coy about 2008, telling interviewers that she has "no plans" to run.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said she thought "that Hillary will run at some point." She also noted that Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., had run for president in the 2000 GOP primaries and might try again.

As for herself, Feinstein said: "Yeah, I would run. I don't know when, but I would run."

I was struck by the self-confidence and sense of purpose that all the senators exuded. Those interviewed said that, despite party differences, they looked forward to the monthly dinners they have been holding either at a senator's home or at a restaurant.

At those sessions, they can let their hair down, gossip and talk about "the macaroni-and-cheese issues here and around the world," as Mikulski put it.

The senators agreed that the Senate's Old Boys' Network is becoming a thing of the past. It was not always so.

When Mikulski entered the Senate in 1987, there was no ladies restroom and the women senators were not allowed to wear pantsuits on the Senate floor. Nor were they given choice committee assignments.

Boxer said prejudice against women lawmakers was more evident in the House, where she also served. In the Senate, each member is powerful because a single senator "can really shut down this place" through filibuster.

The woman senators came up through the ranks of local politics, usually having fought for a cause in their cities or states that gained them prominence.

They said the hardest part of their senatorial jobs was trying to get control of their hectic schedules.

Married senators said it was tough to find time for their families, which they said came first.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said her husband is taking care of their two boys and that there are no stereotypical roles in their household. As for her husband, she said, "We call him 'Mr. Mom.'"

The senators predicted that there would be more women in the Senate. Don't expect them to focus on women's issues -- they've learned that they represent everyone in their states.

(Helen Thomas can be reached at the e-mail address helent(at)hearstdc.com).