"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.
I don't see Dr. Rice as being interested in this, nor do I think that she has the "fire in the belly" required to run such a campaign. She has often said she doesn't want it, and I see no reason to think she is lying.
Noonan is displaying remarkable ignorance on how any of the players in her little drama operate. Just to name a few:
1. Dick Cheney doesn't need an excuse to resign...he could always plead a worsening health problem and no one would question it.
2. George Bush is, above all else, loyal, and would never ask him to resign.
3. The President knows that "annointing" someone like Rice would set the backs up of millions of people, including the millions who LOVE Dick Cheney (like me) and do NOT consider him a "hate-magnet."
4. As ken5050 points out, she would have to go through a Senate confirmation, which would be terrible in the poison the Rats would spew, negating any perceived advantage she would have in being named.
All in all, this is a non-starter of a theory and Peggy should take a sabbatical and try to get her head screwed back on straight.