Can O'Worms™: Writing characters outside your gender

Somewhere in my recent web travels (I coulda sworn it was someone on my friends list, but I can't find the post there now), I came across the following statement re the late Grand Master science-fiction author Robert A. Heinlein: "Heinlein couldn't write women if his life depended on it." A cursory Googling of the word pair "Heinlein women" turns up a whole raft of interesting posts, from both genders and on both sides of the question.

Apropos of the most recent posting on the gender gap, and since RAH happens to be one of my top three favorite SF authors (the late Isaac Asimov and the thankfully-not-late Spider Robinson being the others), I thought I'd throw this one out and see if it gets any more responses than the last one. Do you think Admiral Bob was capable of writing believable females, or not? Which author not of your own gender do you feel most gets your side right? Which one of your gender do you feel does right by the other one? And can we even discuss this without (a) getting hopelessly entangled in PC angst, (b) killing each other or (c) dragging in LeGuin's Left Hand of Darkness or some other gender-skirting work?

In Memoriam: Vickie Lynn Hogan Marshall Stern (AKA Anna Nicole Smith), 1968-2007

With thanks to ever-on-the-ball fellow Texan faxpaladin for passing along the news (I'm naturallized Texan although a native Louisianan, and have a diploma from Nimitz High School to prove it): The sad and bizarre story of the woman known to the world as Anna Nicole Smith has come to a sudden and shocking end. She was found dead of unknown causes today at the age of 39 in her hotel room in Hollywood, FL. Reuters confirms the story here.

I'm sure I don't need to rehash the sordid details of her life here; most of you reading this probably already know way more about her than you really care to—gods know I do. While I admit to having lusted in my heart for her voluptuous physicality, I was never under any illusions as to the personality contained therein. My heart goes out to her long-suffering family and friends; may they at long last know some peace.

New funny StumbleUpon link

Way funnier for those of us who have actually made use of both audiotext menus and what are now euphemistically called "behavioral health services"...
The Mental Health Department Answering Machine