Rice willing to be vice presidential pick

[conservativecanadian]

read story here

http://www.newsmax.com/kessler/condoleezza_rice_vp/2008/03/27/83512.html

[Bumblebee]

I'll believe it when I see it, CC. Right now, I'm thinking Romney for VP.

[The Hawk]

The GOP won't be able to win with Condi as the VP candidate. I really like her and I'd love to see her as the VP nominee, but by selecting her McCain will simply be falling into the Democrats' efforts to paint him as another 3rd Bush term - which is not what he wants considering all the anti-Bush sentiment.

[earthtoned]

possibly, hawk, but informed democrats are aware that condi is a powell doctrine conservative, and hardly part of the rumsfeld/cheney/perle contingent that pushed for the war. she is a diplomacy advocate, extremely intelligent, and would also help attract many frustrated hillary supporters who feel as if obama robbed them of their chance at history.

i also wouldn't rule out romney, giuliani or any other former candidates...i also wouldnt' be entirely surprised to see joe lieberman

[The Hawk]

McCain already knows he's in enough trouble amongst evangelical conservatives so he wouldn't dare select Guiliani or Lieberman. The religious right would have a heart attack if the Republicans put out a McCain-Guiliani ticket. However, I definitely see Lieberman and Guiliani being in McCain's cabinet given he wins the election. They both would make a great Secretary of State. But I see that being given to Lieberman and Guiliani being Attorney General.

Romney seems like the most viable option right now, but I still struggle to see he and McCain get along. These two seem to genuinely hate each other.

As I mentioned before, I would love to see Condi on the ticket, I'm just skeptical if she could win. I also think it'll be perceived as a blatant attempt by the GOP to match the Democrats' historic ticket of Obama or Hillary. Condi does deserve a spot in a McCain administration whether its as VP, Homeland Security, or maybe she could be appointed to the Supreme Court.

[PonsAsinorum]

possibly, hawk, but informed democrats are aware that condi is a powell doctrine conservative, and hardly part of the rumsfeld/cheney/perle contingent that pushed for the war. she is a diplomacy advocate, extremely intelligent, and would also help attract many frustrated hillary supporters who feel as if obama robbed them of their chance at history.

i also wouldn't rule out romney, giuliani or any other former candidates...i also wouldnt' be entirely surprised to see joe lieberman
Informed Democrats, or informed anythings, make up the minority of any political group. It's the sound-bite-fed majority that decides whom to attack. Any Republican that spends any amount of time around Bush is going to be sniffed out and judged guilty by association. Just look at Obama. Far more people care about his pastor than his voting record. It's not what you've done. It's who you've been around that matters to most people.

[IHL]

If McCain picks Lieberman, I won't vote him and I think he loses. Having two liberals on the Republican ticket would be more than most Republicans could stand.

I like Condi a lot. She is more intelligent than Hillary, B. Hussein Obama, and McCain combined. She has a lot of experience. But, Hawk has a point about making it appear she would just create a 'more of the same' sort of ticket.

And I would make you a bet. If by some chance Condi would run, you'd see black America try to destroy her. It isn't only about being black or being a woman. You have to be a black LIBERAL woman or it doesn't count.

I'm not sure who McCain will pick. I can see a lot of possibilities. I would love to see a McCain/Rice ticket if they could win. Maybe they could. But I would love to see Condi as president. I think she would be fantastic.

[The Hawk]

And I would make you a bet. If by some chance Condi would run, you'd see black America try to destroy her. It isn't only about being black or being a woman. You have to be a black LIBERAL woman or it doesn't count.

Definitely! It frustrates me so much how blacks disregard Condoleeza and Colin Powell as "house slaves".

[earthtoned]

even within the democratic party condi and powell (particularly powell) are fairly popular considering all the accurate things youve pointed out. Neither are known for their ideological positions so much as their integrity and service. Black America destroy Condi? even if they did, it's not much of a hit on republicans who already garner such a miniscule percentage of gop votes. Its the women she would likely pick up that are far more important. moderate, independent women.

I could be wrong, but i believe this election will be fought in the middle. I would not be surprised at all to see a moderate to conservative democrat i/e jim webb or even chuck hagel (he's already mentioned him as a possible secretery of defense) (http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=7f835227-8916-4848-b5c2-ac1a870bc876)as an obama running mate. the indepentants are in flux. much of the republican base has already become resigned to swallowing the bitter mccain pill. what's one more going to change? ideologically, mccain and lieberman are only degrees apart, and are clearly friends. they have co-sponsored bills (climate change) and spent much time campaigning together already this year, which appeared to hurt him little in the nomination process. Personally i think it helped him by turning out the independants that he is also counting on in the general. similarly, obama benefited from the same demographics in defeating clinton in places like idaho, virginia and wyoming, while he lost much of the traditional democratic establishment. theses are the people that will likely decide this election, not the base of either party. If mccain goes for a hard right running-mate, i wonder if he loses much of his own base in the middle, giving up that essential group.

[earthtoned]

and then there's this:

http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/03/27/bloomberg-and-obama-payback-time.aspx

[i_love_being_so_wicked]

Rice should have ran for president herself. I think she could have won. I think she would be a good vice president though and it would be good in case McCain kicks the bucket while in office.

[Peace_by_superior _power]

I think Rice is a good pick because she brings to the table what a lot of uninformed voters see. She is black and a woman. That steals a lot of thunder from Obama and Clinton because one is just black and the other is just a woman and Rice has both. I know its a terrible idea, but a lot of people will see that and go with her for that reason.

[shotdrops286]

Rice should have ran for president herself. I think she could have won. I think she would be a good vice president though and it would be good in case McCain kicks the bucket while in office.

I was hoping she was going to run she would have been my first choice and definately would have gotten my vote...for exactly the reasons earthtoned wrote
...informed democrats are aware that condi is a powell doctrine conservative, and hardly part of the rumsfeld/cheney/perle contingent that pushed for the war. she is a diplomacy advocate, extremely intelligent...

[Dr. Madd]

I like Condi, and some day she might be a presidential candidate. I think she needs a little more experience. I personally believe McCain needs to pick either Huckabee or Hunter as VP.

[Topiary Lady]

Condi has already said so many times that she will not run. No doubt that she would be fabulous in just about any capacity. She's just a fabulous lady.

Hunter? I'd be in heaven, but it won't happen. I'm sort of finished guessing what any of these people will do though. Few things surprise me anymore. All I know for certain right now is that we've got to keep B. Hussein out. He's a risk that we simply cannot mess around with while we've got boots on the ground and a war to finish. I will not put my personal wants and wishes ahead of our troops. That's the very least that I can do for them. Rotten as McCain is on many things, he will be the best of the two choices when it comes to the war.

Condi would be a dream for sure - but I don't believe she'll take a VP offer.

[scarymary]

It's not going to be Condi, as much as I would like to see her in that role. So if that isn't going to happen, I lean toward Mitt Romney. He and John McCain are out campaigning together at the moment, and I believe this signals a truce between the two and solidifies Mitt Romney's chance of becoming McCain's running mate. Notice Huckabee has all but fell off the radar since he dropped out of the race. I'd also have to agree with Pons on this that while most of us know that Condi would be an excellent choice, that guilt by association would play into the minds of some who would otherwise have supported her.

[earthtoned]

But then, nobody before her has exactly been successful in that regard either.

to little, too late..but hardly her fault in my opinion.

it is also true that there is little known about her broader views, but this is also why to the casual voter it could be an asset. traditionally, the voting public has demanded less detail from a veep candidate, so long as they are perceived as competent. their ideologies are usually assumed to be similar to those of the top of the ticket. others will project their ownpre-conceptions based on their positive opinions of someone.

here is a fairly old poll, but note how high her approval ratings were in 06 despite the rest of the administration totally tanking.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,192468,00.html

thats a remarkable number, which suggests the public does not attach its perceived failures of the bush administration on secretary rice.

[PonsAsinorum]

to little, too late..but hardly her fault in my opinion.

it is also true that there is little known about her broader views, but this is also why to the casual voter it could be an asset. traditionally, the voting public has demanded less detail from a veep candidate, so long as they are perceived as competent. their ideologies are usually assumed to be similar to those of the top of the ticket. others will project their ownpre-conceptions based on their positive opinions of someone.

here is a fairly old poll, but note how high her approval ratings were in 06 despite the rest of the administration totally tanking.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,192468,00.html

thats a remarkable number, which suggests the public does not attach its perceived failures of the bush administration on secretary rice.

This is partly what sunk John Kerry in 2004. John Edwards brought along his baggage when he joined the ticket. Now, Edwards may not have been as bad as some choices would have been, but hist "Two Americas" speech as a presidential candidate provided more negative fodder than the Democrats would have liked.

I'd wager that right now Dick Cheney is as reviled or moreso than George W. Bush, but that wasn't the case when they were running in 2000. Cheney brought along nothing negative because he hadn't been in the spotlight enough to attract attention like Edwards was.

[earthtoned]

whatever baggage edwards brought, i'm not sure how much it hurt kerry i the general. Kerry was a liberal, vaguely french, elitist, vietnam traitor as far as the right was concerned...how could edwards out-sink that?

despite all that, wasn't it about the turnout of the respective bases more than anything else? statewide referendums on gay marriage? evangelicals came out en masse in 2004.

cheney brought long-time experience to a ticket that some felt might be thin when it came to international policy. cheney was also a much more reasonable man as GWB's secretary of defense, when he argued eloquently about the pitfalls of occupying foreign lands following the first iraq war. few could have predicted his transformation unless they understood the new direction modern neoconservatism was taking at the time...one i myself was unaware of.

[PonsAsinorum]

whatever baggage edwards brought, i'm not sure how much it hurt kerry i the general. Kerry was a liberal, vaguely french, elitist, vietnam traitor as far as the right was concerned...how could edwards out-sink that?

despite all that, wasn't it about the turnout of the respective bases more than anything else? statewide referendums on gay marriage? evangelicals came out en masse in 2004.

cheney brought long-time experience to a ticket that some felt might be thin when it came to international policy. cheney was also a much more reasonable man as GWB's secretary of defense, when he argued eloquently about the pitfalls of occupying foreign lands following the first iraq war. few could have predicted his transformation unless they understood the new direction modern neoconservatism was taking at the time...one i myself was unaware of.

I don't think Edwards did a severe amount of damage to Kerry. But with the election being as close as it was, even a small amount was harmful. Edwards' image as the Breck Girl and a blood-sucking personal injury lawyer was embedded in the minds of at least some voters before he ever became the veep nominee.

A veep shouldn't necessarily add, although Cheney did that in 2000, but he definitely shouldn't subtract. All the dirt that was dug up on Edwards during his bid for the White House didn't completely go away when he joined with Kerry. The Right and Left already had their minds made up, but the independent voters in the middle weren't completely sold on Edwards. I think tapping a fellow candidate to be your #2 isn't a good idea.

Running for office is like the NBA draft. You see so much potential in just about every player or candidate...until you really look at them. The draft is all about upside. Nobody ever talks about how a player drafted in the middle of the round will probably be sitting on a bench for three years and then will become a limited role player or be out of the league. The presidential primary process uncovers what basketball GMs see in a player's first year. It's often not pretty, but until you peel back all the layers and put that player or candidate in the ultimate pressure situation, you have no idea how he'll really perform.

[thumbelina]

I like Condi, and some day she might be a presidential candidate. I think she needs a little more experience. I personally believe McCain needs to pick either Huckabee or Hunter as VP. Dear Lord nooooo, sorry Madd, but no Huckaberry. :icon_conf

[submarinepainter]

Sanford is he best choice for VP

[Dr. Madd]

McCain/Hunter

[conservativecanadian]

here is the perfect scenario for mccains vp

1.someone younger

2.has to have a lot of executive expierence

3.has to be a person who can appeal to the very conservative states and campaign thier while mccain works the swing states

we get that in someone and we will have the perfect vp