Replies

I thought I made it clear that Condi Rice should not, and cannot, run for President in 2008. On the other hand, she would make an excellent Vice Presidential candidate. Veeps, as history amply demonstrates, have to carry out the policies set by the President.

Billybob

VP material, okay. But Bill Frist? I'll wager that 97% of the general population wouldn't know Bill Frist from Frisky the Cat. Keep in mind, the presidential election has become the new Miss America pageant. It's just as much a popularity (and beauty) contest as it is a political campaign about substantive issues.

If Bill Frist wants to run, he needs to start letting the voting public know who Bill Frist is.

Condi Rice should not, and cannot, run for President in 2008.

That's clearly so; she has no real political standing apart from being nominated by the president to an important post. It is true that Secretary of State was, at the start of the 19^th century, an important credential for a presidential candidate; Thomas Jefferson was the first person with that credential (along with having been governor of Virginia during the Revolution!). But Herbert Hoover was the last president whose top governmental office was appointive, Secretary of Commerce. There hasn't been a former Secretary of State elected president since, probably, 1840.
That's understandable when you consider that the Republic was founded for little else but to conduct a unitary foreign policy and defense policy - basically, to deter or fight the War of 1812. There are only two possibilites: either foreign policy will succeed in the next four year, mooting foreign policy as a political issue, or it will not - mooting a presidential run by a failed Secretary of State.
But as to the vice presidency, a fair number of VPs have become president - but only two sitting presidents have seen their vice-presidential running mate elected to succeed them - Andrew Jackson and Ronald Wilson Reagan. Bum ticker aside, Mr. Cheney would be seriously in the running for '08 because, at the present rate, GWB could be seen to stand in that company. But I think it's a long shot to think that the next GOP VP nominee will get to be elected president some day. Especially with no other elected office in her resume.
I think we look for a person (it will in fact be a man) who

will be a popular former two-term governor
will be from a populous state
will be a comer, not stale from being on the national scene for 15 years.
you would be comfortable seeing on the Supreme Court.
IOW, it's a shame if Jeb Bush doesn't run. Entirely apart from - not because of and not in spite of - his relation to two presidents.