That’s interesting, but despite McCain’s decision in June 2004 to start sucking up to Bush and the PTB, it’s hard to see that he’s going to get that far with the people with the primary votes.
Of course, I know how things will go: there’s be a gradual upswing of Dobson and CBN and other ‘Christian’ media saying nice things about McCain, and then by late 2007, they’ll crank it into high gear to convince the believers that McCain’s their sort of Christian.
Might even work.
No, he’ll never leave. I bet there’s a secret executive order that requires his dead body to be stuffed and mounted in the oval office for the remainder of GWB’s presidency.
The only way Cheney won’t be veep in January 2009 will be if he gets wheeled out of DC on a gurney…
-Joe
caviot I’m not a Republican, nor do I play one on TV.
That said I conceed that while you are correct that SOUTHERN cultural conservatives might agree with you that she is not 'One Of Them’™, fortunately Southern cultural conservatives don’t make up the entire Republican party. For that matter, I’m unclear if they are even in the majority. The Republicans have been able to successfully weld multiple factions into a (reasonably) cohesive whole. This whole is made up of may different and even divergent factions.
I think that Condi WOULD appeal to several of these factions if she chose to run (and if no big black mark is made against her between now and then). Further, I think that slipping her into the VP slot between now and when Bush leaves would in effect make her the heir apparent, putting her firmly into the publics eye.
Finally, assuming she wins the presidential nomination (I don’t think she will…my money is on someone like McCain…I see Condi as MAYBE a good VP choice), those Southern cultural conservatives will fall into line come voting time…especially if you run Gore or another Kerry (or gods forbid Kerry himself). While SHE might not be 'One Of Them’™, THEY certainly aren’t. And like GW himself Condi would be the lesser of two weasles.
I suppose that depends on if you think her current position was achieved solely on the fact that she is a female and black.
-XT
Another thing Rice has against her is that she’s never been elected to anything. One could hold that her experience at actually governing is sufficient, but at winning an election? Yes, she’d have the GOP machine holding her hand and calling the shots, but running for president ould be a baptism by fire.
Many Republican primary voters will enter the booths with one question looming on their mind: can this person beat the Democratic candidate? I don’t know if they’d be confident in her ability to do it.
xtisme:
I don’t think that’s true of her current position as Secretary of State. She was an expert on foreign policy before entering public service, and the two public positions she’s held have been entirely foreign-policy based, so she’s well qualified for them. But I do think that her race and gender are responsible for her position as presumptive front-runner for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination if she decides to run. She doesn’t have experience as an executive, she hasn’t methodically risen through party ranks, she’s not a war hero(ine) and she doesn’t have any background that includes domestic policy at all. How does that translate to great buzz for a run at the Presidency, if you don’t think her race asnd gender are a factor?
NO WAY. The Pub leaders might want to groom Rice for the presidency, but the party’s mass base, as reconstituted after Nixon’s “Southern strategy,” will never accept her or any African-American on the ticket.
Even if McCain could get nominated, he’d be a hard sell to win. Moderate Democrats loved him last election, but now he’s seen as a wishy washy Bush suck-up. Had he stuck to his guns he would have been the big winner in a general election, but now? Pretty tough call.
Well, you are certainly entitled to your opinion. Myself I think its a steamy pile of horseshit (to be clear I talking about this attitude towards the Republican ‘mass base’), but thats just MY opinion. Personally I think if Mr. Powell had run prior to 2000 not only would he have won the nomination but probably the presidency as well. JMHO of course…YMMV.
Nope, she is no war hero(ine), nor has she paid her dues as a career politician. True enough. But she has been rather widely in the publics eye, has been central to some of the far reaching events taking place since 9/11, etc. I think that puts her in the ‘war hero’/‘famous’ folks who really have no creds as carreer politicians but are still electable.
Also her race and gender don’t hurt (despite some highly prejudiced comments about the Republican ‘mass’ to the contrary)…IMHO. 
I’m not so sure that a white male who has been in the public eye and through the things Condi has wouldn’t also have visions of the Presidency despite lack of creds…but I conceed that the buzz and anything it translates also comes from the fact she is black and female.
-XT
I agree and hope so.
Are you upset that they have the attitude that the Republican base has a central viewpoint, or the implication that that viewpoint is racist?