6 April 2008
Rice for VP?
Posted by Joy Bischoff under: Presidential Election 2008 .
Dan Senor: Condoleezza Rice is Pursuing the VP Spot
ABCNews’ Mary Bruce Reports: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is actively courting the Vice Presidential nomination, according to Republican Strategist Dan Senor. “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 explained. “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 Senator 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. The challenge they’re realizing is that they’ll have to have to spend 30-45 days, which they won’t have at that point, educating the American public about who this person is,” Senor said. “The other category is someone who people instantly say, the second they see that announcement, I get it, that person could be president tomorrow. Condi Rice is an option.”
15 Comments so far...
T. Fan Says:
6 April 2008 at 6:31 pm.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Romney is the one who can address the greatest concern the country has right now, the economy. Rice can’t do that. I don’t think it will be her.
Ghost Says:
6 April 2008 at 6:36 pm.
Maybe McCain will pick Rice. She will please conservatives and Bush fans and she might please moderates and even some libs since she is a black woman. She seems like a very nice person to me so I guess if McCain won’t pick Mitt that this would be a good second choice. At least it wouldn’t be Leiberman or Huckabee.
M.G. Says:
6 April 2008 at 6:42 pm.
She has been my guess for awhile. This would seriously not surprise me at all.
CindyL. Says:
6 April 2008 at 7:04 pm.
I don’t think a lot of younger people are real supportive of the war. Rice is so linked to President Bush that she might be damaged. Not only that, a lot of Jews don’t like her because she is pushing hard for a Palestinian State.
I might be wrong but I think having her so tied to Bush and the war and then for McCain to be so focused on defense is too much. He needs someone who would bring a different angle.
Matt Says:
6 April 2008 at 7:11 pm.
I could see McCain picking Rice. It could be his way of getting out of being pressured into picking Mitt. If he tells the people that are pushing him about Mitt that it would be better to have a black woman to counteract the liberal choices. That might be enough to overcome the anti-Bush taint we would have.
Cindy you may have a point about two people on the ticket that are tied into the war though. I wish McCain would hurry up and decide. He’s starting to really bug me again.
Benjamin Says:
6 April 2008 at 7:30 pm.
Guess who flew out to Arizona to have a little pow wow with McCain this weekend? Fred Thompson. The plot gets thicker. Rumors are flying and no one knows what the man will do.
Jan W. Says:
6 April 2008 at 8:06 pm.
Benjamin, why are you getting my hopes up? I started out a big Fredhead. I didn’t think McCain was thinking about Fred as a possibility. No one has been talking much about him. He would be so great. I think he could have a good influence on McCain. Fred is so level headed and calm and wise. He is smarter than people have given him credit for. He understands the constitution and he is so conservative. He knows we have to fight terrorism but he isn’t a warmonger type at all. He is friends with McCain so I would think there would be good energy with that kind of team. Fred flying all the way to Arizona has to be a good sign. Darn now I will be on pins and needles.
T. Fan Says:
6 April 2008 at 8:17 pm.
I have been pulling for Mitt as VP choice because I didn’t think Fred had a chance, just like you Jan. My name on this site is T. Fan which is short for Thompson Fan. Whenever I heard his name come up people kept going on about his ‘lame campaign’ and no energy and all that crap. I didn’t even want to hope but I’m with you. Now I’m hoping big time and will be holding my breath to see if this could really happen. GO FRED!
Cavetrollhead Says:
7 April 2008 at 5:44 am.
Some interesting comments here, Cindy you make some good points. The good news is that both Thompson and Rice are fine choices, IMO. The bad news is “it’s the economy stupid!” (That is a quote from Bill Clinton and not directed towards anyone here- You who remember the 92 campaign know what I mean)
But again, Either Rice or Thompson would make a better choice for president even than McCain, so I can’t complain to much. Still hope it will be Romney on the ticket though.
Carrie Says:
7 April 2008 at 11:39 am.
My choices are Mitt first, then Condi Rice then Fred Thompson.
SGS Says:
7 April 2008 at 7:02 pm.
Ghost, be careful when you use word, “conservative”. It means many things to many people. I want to point out that Rice definitely is not beloved in the sights of the social conservatives, or those who have made the family issues and human rights their top issues. Rice as the head of the Department of State has been totally silent about the China and its Olypmics, especially when it comes to Tibet. There were quite a few social conservative leaders asking her for at least a statement, but there has not been a word out of her department, from anyone!
Then, there is this from Idaho Value Alliance:
News reports over the weekend indicate that Condoleezza Rice is actively hinting that she would like to be considered for Sen. McCain’s V.P. spot. This would be a disaster for McCain with social conservatives, since Rice, in her own words, is “mildly pro-choice,” and identifies herself as a “libertarian” on the issue of whether or not a woman should be allowed to kill her unborn baby. Whatever hope McCain has of victory in November may well be doomed if he picks a running mate with pro-abortion sympathies.
McCain is not exactly a leader of the social conservativism movement. He did vote right with each bill, except for the federal funding of the embryonic stem cell research. He has declared he remains in favor of it, and that he is opposite to the Federal Marriage Amendment. He does not have a strong relationship with the social conservatives (roughly 1/3 of the base, and among the most active in grassroot organization). Picking Rice will go a long way to “stick thumb in eye” for them. Rice is not a good VP choice for McCain.
Jesse Says:
7 April 2008 at 8:27 pm.
SGS, I for one feel like an idiot. I didn’t know any of this about Rice. She seems so sweet and Bush is so supportive of her that I think a lot of us assumed she was truly conservative. Knowing this it is easy to see what a disaster she would be as a running mate for McCain. For one thing is sure, if she becomes his VP choice, the media will make sure everybody knows all this and more so that conservatives will not want to support the ticket.
Ghost Says:
7 April 2008 at 8:53 pm.
Oops! Weird how I assumed she was like Bush. Guess I made an ass out of not u but just me. Thanks SGS. Glad someone around here is doing their homework.
Cavetrollhead Says:
8 April 2008 at 2:01 am.
Thanks for the heads up on “mildly pro choice” SGS. That counts her out in my book.
Lets hope it will be Thompson or Romney, or I, for one, will probably not vote republican this round.
(As far as McCain goes as a social conservative- Remember McCain Vs Wisconsin Right to Life supreme court case. He chose cronyism (I can’t spell that word) or something over life.
Joy Bischoff Says:
8 April 2008 at 2:15 am.
Amazing how well that whole Wisconsin issue is kept under wraps by the press. I found a lot of other statements of his about not touching Roe v Wade so I sure don’t trust McCain on the abortion issue. I saw The Tonight’s Show tonight with Jay talking about how honest McCain is. I’m so tired of that when there is so much evidence to the contrary. There is like a taboo against attacking his character out there.
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