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Home Front: Politix
Condi for VP?
2008-04-07
From the ABC News Blog. Lot o'salt needed here.
Mary Bruce Reports: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is actively courting the vice presidential nomination, Republican strategist Dan Senor said. “Condi Rice has been actively, actually in recent weeks, campaigning for this,” Senor said this morning on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” According to Senor, Rice has been cozying up to the Republican elite.

“There's this ritual in Washington: The Americans for Tax Reform, which is headed by Grover Norquist, he holds a weekly meeting of conservative leaders -- about 100, 150 people, sort of inside, chattering, class types,” Senor said. “They all typically get briefings from political conservative leaders. Ten days ago, they had an interesting visit -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice -- the first time a secretary of state has visited the Wednesday meeting.”

Senor explained that Rice’s history in public office would make her a prime candidate, especially in light of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain’s emphasis on experience throughout his campaign. “What the McCain campaign has to consider is whether or not they want to pick a total outsider, a fresh face, someone a lot younger than him, a governor who people aren't that familiar with," Senor said. "The challenge they're realizing is that they'll have to have to spend 30 to 45 days, which they won't have at that point, educating the American public about who this person is."

“The other category is someone who people instantly say, the second they see that announcement, 'I get it, that person could be president tomorrow,'"; Senor added. "Condi Rice is an option.”
That makes sense, I suppose, most Americans know Condi. Whether they'd vote for her isn't clear. I haven't seen any 'favorable/unfavorable' opinion polls on her. The fear is that she'd bring more baggage from the current administration, but given that the Dhimmicrats will tar McCain with the war anyway, it likely couldn't get any worse.
Posted by:Steve White

#25  Articulate my ass. Palestine is like Birmingham? This is a level of moral equivalence that is truly frightening.

She may have executed the president's policy, but Bush started well wrt to the paleostinians, but he has been sucked into to legacy game, or is it the Saudi oil game?

So she didn't apologize for the WOT. She would not have stayed in even this government if she had.

This would be a choice that formalized the party telling the conservative part of the base to take a walk. This process started with comprehensive immigration reform.

By the way AHM, dislike of the DOS and Condi's performance there does not constitute ignorance.
Posted by: SR-71   2008-04-07 21:58  

#24  I can definitely agree that her closeness to the Bush Administration is a definite liability. As to rjschwarz, her handling of the palestinians has been as her boss the POTUS has instructed. As with all lame-duck presidents, W is in 'legacy' mode. And for some reason, they (outgoing POTUSes) all think trying to force the Israeli's into stupid concessions for the paleo's is the thing to do. Of course that's just stupid, but you can't hate her for doing her job, which for a diplomat is dealing with stupid people and not blowing them up. That would be Petraeus' job. My whole point is, it's stupid to hate on her for doing her job as she is instructed to by her boss, the President. I'm sure if she was SecDef or still NSA, she'd be advising the President on the best ways to kill the bad guys.

I don't know much about Steele, I'd love to read more, can anyone provide some references?
Posted by: AllahHateMe   2008-04-07 16:51  

#23  And lastly, the Republicans would do best to avoid anyone too closely associated with the current administration. Like W or not, he makes some people nuts and association with that would not be useful.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2008-04-07 14:54  

#22  I once liked Condi but to be real, she's a soviet expert and the handling of the Russians has not been what I would consider impressive. Her handling of the Palestinians has been an embarrassment. She's never held elected office. She doesn't seem to even want the job. Why wont this meme go away?
Posted by: rjschwarz   2008-04-07 14:53  

#21  Nope,

Not that she's not capable. She's very capable, but it's still not going to happen.

McCain must keep his distance from the Bush administration when the general campaign election rolls around. He's done with the base of R's after the D primary ends. He will immediately choose an unknown as his VP choice, someone younger, accomplished but not connected to the abysmal popularity of the Bush administration, and good looking.

Condi is too well-known as exactly what she should be respected for, listening to her boss and doing her job. But that taints her for the unknown 15% of the voters who are looking for the change every single candidate both R &D are selling.

Hopefully whichever Governor McCain chooses for VP will have the balls she does, but doubtful. Hopefully McCain sees the wisdom of bringing her into his administration as well. She's a hell of a hand.
Posted by: RealityCheck   2008-04-07 14:39  

#20  The weakness OS has identified may well be McCain's main reason for selecting her. McCain has bent over backwards to civilize the debate this year. Note the non-reaction to the NYT hatchet job on his son this weekend. McCain is the real candidate for change this year. I just hope he is more successful with it than Thompson was.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2008-04-07 14:17  

#19  Steele is well known to the GOP insiders from his time as GOPAC leader. Same with Watts. Both of whom I like and who are genial, and good campaigners.

The question about Rics is how effective a campaigner is she? Can she do the "Hatchetman" job the VP is called to do in most elections?

Its that campaign part of the role that almost requires the GOP to put a minority candidate at VP if Obama wins the nomination, or a female if its Hillary.

Again, can she get the job done? I don't have enough data on her as a public speaker, in an attack role, to say one way or another.

Posted by: OldSpook   2008-04-07 13:19  

#18  I'd be happier with her as president than I will with McCain. I think she is tougher, smarter, and less flawed than McCain.
Posted by: RWV   2008-04-07 11:50  

#17  I'm with you Deacon. Michael Steele seems to be the real deal. He's sharp and got both feet on the ground,and headed in the right direction. I like J.C. Watts too, but Steele is really impressive.
Posted by: Woozle Elmeter 2700   2008-04-07 11:06  

#16  Agreed, Steve.

And I rather like the in-your-faceness of Condi as VP candidate. It says a bunch of things that need saying:

* No apologies for the war on terror

* She's an (R) and female, and (R) and black and a generation younger than McCain.

* She's more stylish, attractive, athletic and graceful than HRC, more black / civil rights veteran and equally articulate to BHO with a lot more substance. While he was bein' raised up by two women he now scorns, her daddy was patrolling the neighborhood streets with a shotgun while raising an accomplished young woman. You do the math on life stories that can inspire ...
Posted by: lotp   2008-04-07 10:53  

#15  Steve,

Steele didn't lose the Governor's election.

He lost the election for Senate.

Your underlying point was, iMO, correct.
Posted by: mhw   2008-04-07 10:52  

#14  Mike Steele won't be on the ticket. He's a good man, but his highest elected office was Lt. Gov, and he lost the election for governor. Not blaming him, that was a tough assignment, but he doesn't have the gravitas needed to be VP.
Posted by: Steve White   2008-04-07 10:42  

#13  If the genie pops out of the lamp and I get to wish, here's how it goes:

McCain/Steele '08
McCain decides not to run again in '12
Steele/Rice in 2012 . . . the "Black is Beautiful" ticket!
Posted by: Mike   2008-04-07 10:32  

#12  I'm with AllahHateMe and DarthVader on this, but I don't think it will happen -- too much Bush-association for the Democrats. Time will heal that. I'm thinking Condi Rice for President, 2012.
Posted by: Darrell   2008-04-07 10:12  

#11  She definitely wouldn't be the worst choice and in a lot of ways, one of the best. She is a woman, and black. The left will try to spin her as a Uncle (Aunt?) Tom and only working for whitie, but the truth is they really can't touch her. She would bring in a lot more of the black vote and a ton of the female vote.
While I am not happy with her DOS job, I believe AllahHateMe is right. She is doing what her boss wants, unlike the CIA and other agencies. She is tough, determined and can stand up to any limp wristed bully congressman that is on the hill. I saw her destroy all of the questioners during the Iraq war inquiry and she would crush any VP debater during the run to the white house.
I still stick to my original prediction, the first black president will be a conservative. Obama is proving that the dhimocrat pool of candidates is fatally tainted with race-hustlers, haters and pimps.
Posted by: DarthVader   2008-04-07 09:56  

#10  The Democrats would just claim she is really a white man.
Posted by: Excalibur   2008-04-07 09:23  

#9  I love the ignorant people who think she's 'changed' since she went to State. Most Republicans loved her as NSA. Do you really think she's not doing what W asks her to do? She's doing her freaking job and all of a sudden everyone hates her. How lame. The woman is the most intelligent, articulate person in DC. She would destroy anyone in any debate. I would love to see her as McCain's VP. Once she has a chance to go out and lay out her positions on everything, I'm sure the ignorant will change their minds on her. Anyone who doesn't realize she's just doing her job, which by the way is what the President tells her, is a moron. She's coddling the arabs because Bush is in 'legacy' mode. She's proven herself in the past to be strong on terror and strong on defence.
Posted by: AllahHateMe   2008-04-07 09:21  

#8  I think the evidence that she wants the job is, oh, how to be charitable . . . a bit on the thin side of "not much there."

That said, she's not my first choice, but we could do a lot worse. It would piss off all the people I like to see pissed off, and monkey-wrench the Dems identity politics.
Posted by: Mike   2008-04-07 09:11  

#7  Hows about Michael Steele?
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2008-04-07 09:11  

#6  As posted before, J C Watts would be a better candidate because it would shore up the conservative element of the party/campaign. At least give a lot of conservatives warm feelings in a Teddy Roosevelt kind of way.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2008-04-07 09:00  

#5  Jesus, Joseph and Mary! NO!
Posted by: Tarzan Cromp1913   2008-04-07 08:54  

#4  Makes sense if Clinton is the Dem candidate. Redundant if Obama.
Posted by: ed   2008-04-07 06:16  

#3  No. The beltway pod people got her when she went to the DOS.
Posted by: SR-71   2008-04-07 06:03  

#2  Hell No.

But she would probably draw votes from left of center more than most, and W likes her. Hmm.
Posted by: gorb   2008-04-07 04:55  

#1  No.
Posted by: 3dc   2008-04-07 02:29  

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