I’m not a Bush or Republican fan, but I’d like to think they’ll plan this one out carefully with an eye to maximizing their chances of winning the presidency in 2008.
I think an awful lot of the “cultural conservatives” who voted for Bush in the last 2 elections wiould not be willing to vote for Condi in 2008 unless the Dems went nuts & put up somebody even blacker and more female.
To maximize their chances in 2008, the Reps ought to pick a safe candidate for replacement veep. Maybe Bill Frist if his insider trading scandal has died down / been squashed by then. In any case, it’ll be a Republican Senator or Governor, probably not a current Cabinet member.
If one wants to get Machiavellian, they’ll pick somebody relatively innoccuous, somebody who will know he owes his sudden elevation from Representative from South Nowheresville to Veep entirely to the Bush political machine which runs sub rosa so much of the Republican party. And thus the Bush clan will continue to influence things past 2008 even with none of their blood in high office.
Like I said, Machiavellian and partly in jest. Still, there are more family political dynasties (see also Kennedy in the Dems) in this country than at first appears.