BThe NY Post watched This Week yesterday and notes:Rice Bids to be VP: GOPer
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been “campaigning” to be John McCain’s running mate, a former Bush administration aide said yesterday.
Rice has been courting the Republican elite, Dan Senor, a political strategist and former foreign-policy adviser to President Bush, said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“Condi Rice has been actively, actually in recent weeks, campaigning for this,” he said.
Hmm.
Rice’s positives: black, female, not in her 70s.
Negatives: Bush’s foreign policy.
I have a hard time seeing the former overshadowing the latter.
There was a time when Rice was considered a clear up-and-comer in the party, but given her central role in the Bush foreign policy apparatus, first as National Security Advisor and then as Secretary of State, it would seem that Rice would bring only negatives to the ticket. McCain already has an Iraq problem and the only way he can even hope to try and deal with it is to say that he will be more competent than the Bush administration has been on the subject. The inclusion of Rice on the ticket would make such an argument far more difficult to make.
Plus, wouldn’t every interview and debate with Rice be about the Bush administration and Iraq?
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April 7th, 2008 at 11:59 am
When is the last time that a running mate was someone who had never run for elective office before?
For a presidential candidate, the answer is easy: 1952. But Condi is no Ike.
For a running mate, I have no idea. But it must be rare.
I’ve never taken her “rising star” seriously. And that is before we even get into other liabilities for the Republican base–such as being single and having once declared herself “sort of a libertarian” re abortion.
April 7th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
I think that her negatives re: Iraq aren’t as big a deal as you make out. If she were being floated around as a Veep for an anti-war ticket (or at least a ticket that is hiding from the war in Iraq), then she would be a liability. But I don’t see how she weighs down a candidate who is running on a “let’s stay in Iraq” policy. Isn’t he already weighed down to begin with?
Plus, she is perceived (rightly or wrongly) as being on the “less wrong” wing of administration on Iraq, so again, I don’t see her negatives there. I don’t think it would be a good pick, but for different reasons (never has stood for an election or campaigned, don’t really know what her positions are on many issues, etc).
April 7th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I can buy “mostly negatives,” but “only negatives”? I can buy it, but I don’t believe it.
I’m not so sure that Condi is tainted with the incompetence tag. Yes, the Bush administration in general has come to be known for that, but I don’t believe that’s the rap against her.
In any case, I doubt she will really put herself up for consideration, but I think she should be considers.
April 7th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
I mean, I think she should be considered.
April 7th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Let’s consider this as well: if McCain wasn’t “conservative” enough for parts of the GOP base, how will Rice fare? As noted above in the comments, her stance on abortion is unlikely to please, and no one really knows her positions on a wide range of issues.
April 7th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Clearly she is more than tainted with the Iraq’s debacle. With lies after lies to cover all their little dirty secrets, she was Bush full force blowing trumpet before and after our illegal invasion to Iraq. I would say, she along with Bush and the whole warmonger cabinet, can only be described as war criminals. No words can put it any clearly.
President Bush and any one associated with his arrogant and cruel invasion have been a disgrace to our nation and to the world. IF Pinochet was brought to justice after all these years so should our president and his full stuff.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Rice’s positives: black, female
Didn’t you mean to put these in the negative category–or are you channeling Geraldine Ferraro? There is a reason that Nixon’s southern strategy has played so well for him and his Republican successors.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
I actually think that in this year’s cycle that a veep candidate of minority status would be considered a plus for the Reps.
April 8th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Somebody is playing games or making a story out of nothing. From all other reports, Condi has no interest in being the next VP (as has been her stance everytime she was asked).
If McCain is smart (and he certainly has more political experience than I), he’ll wait to make a decision until after the Dems presidential nominee is final.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:01 am
[...] one has a different view. My guess is that Rice won’t get asked. Not only do I think that she brings mostly negatives, but she is a political [...]