[JosephW]

Hope you don't mind if I clip and pass around the Rice in 2008 logo. She's definitely my choice.

If Cheney isn't up to being the VP in 2004, I hope she gets the nod.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Feel free. I can't take credit for it. Patrick Ruffini (FR's Alex P. Keaton) made both of them. Many here at FR are giddy at the thought of Rice replacing Cheney if he chooses to depart.

My personal prediction is that Cheney will leave in 2003 (after the midterms), which will require Rice to become VP by Congressional approval-- watching the Democrats feebly try to oppose her will be laughable. At that point, the 2004 election will be over before it began (who's going to be in the position of asking Americans to fire the first black VP?), and Bush can use the $250M he's expected to raise for his own re-election bid to support GOP candidates nationwide, since he'll get enough positive free media that campaign ads would be superfluous.