"Condi would be the grinch that stole the libs christmas in 2008... The Ultimate Trump Card.."
Is that the kool-aid that is fueling the Condi bandwagon? I've been trying to figure it out ever since I first started hearing it. What makes so many people think that Secretary Rice would be a shoo-in to the White House in 2008? What makes her "the ultimate trump card?"
What are her positions on immigration, abortion, social security reform, government spending, private property rights, energy, the growth of government, education, taxes, health care, small business or any other domestic issues? What kind of judges would she nominate for the federal courts? Having never held elective office nor even campaigned for one, what does she know about getting legislation through the congress or getting conservative candidates elected to national office?
George Allen has what Condi lacks - experience in the legislative, executive and political fields. He's been a U.S. Senator, a U.S. Representative, a Governor of Virginia and a member of that state's legislature. He's an expert on commerce and transportation and had considerable success in bringing high tech firms to Virginia. As a member of the Foreign Relations Committe in the Senate, Allen isn't as weak on foreign policy issues as Condi is on domestic ones. He's a former Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and under his leadership, the GOP picked up four seats in the U.S. Senate in 2004.
Allen is a solid conservative (do we know the same about Condi?) with an ACU lifetime rating of 91. He's been a faithful backer of the president on Iraq and the war against terror. Since the Senate must approve whoever the president would name to succeed Cheney should he decide to step down, Allen, as one of their own, would face less opposition from his fellow Senators than would Condi.
Don't get me wrong. I admire Secretary Rice, and I think she's been an excellent security advisor and an outstanding SecState. But before holding those postions, the total of her experience was as a Stanford academic. She's strong on defense, but so is Joe Lieberman, and on other issues, he's as liberal as John Conyers. What do we know about Condi, aside from her positions on foriegn policy matters?
Perhaps Secretary Rice, if she were actually insterested in the job and once we find out where she stands on domestic issues, could run on an '08 GOP ticket headed by Sen. Allen. As vice president, part of her duties would be to preside over the Senate, and doing so would give her some much needed experience in legislative matters. This would serve her well if she decided to follow Allen into the White House in 2016.