No, this isn't an endorsement, it's a moment of not so wild speculation. My Keloland colleagues Jon Schaff and Todd Epp have been vetting John Thune for McCain's running mate. I have a better idea, and I wish I could say that I thought of it first. But in fact it was Nicholas Von Hoffman, writing in The Nation of all places, who suggests Condoleezza Rice. And he shudders as he suggests it.
Besides being the greatest two-for in GOP history, Rice brings other huge pluses to the decorated Vietnam hero. Indeed, she may be enough to elect the venerable hero/naval aviator.
McCain's troubles with the religious wing of his party could well evaporate with the churchgoing Rice at his side. She solidifies that part of his base overnight.
With Rice on the ticket, the GOP would have somebody to get enthusiastic about. The Secretary of State is immensely popular with Republicans. For a party that up to now has been clueless about how to run against either a woman or a person of color, Condoleezza Rice is pure political gold.
Woe to any Democrat who thinks taking her on in a debate is a sure thing. The woman is tough, fast on her feet and able to give better than she gets. Anyone who has seen her in action testifying in front of a hostile House or Senate committee knows that she will be able to wipe up the floor with a plodding, ordinary pol of a Democratic vice-presidential candidate. Take Rice lightly at your peril.
Now if Todd Epp can have a man crush on Barack Obama, I can have a crush on Condi Rice. I admit that I have long admired her, if I have not always agreed with her. Von Hoffman stresses that Rice would make it much easier for McCain to attack the Democratic nominee, whoever he or she is, without fear of offending political correctness. I would add something else.
Rice will hardly split the Black vote, especially if Obama is the nominee. Black voters are suspicious of anyone in a Republican administration. If you don't believe me, ask Clarence Thomas. It looks to them like selling out. But she will appeal to White voters who want to vote for a Black candidate. She may be particularly attractive to non-Black women. Moreover, Rice has already been the target of the campaign of vilification, and I suspect that the quiver is pretty much exhausted. Some of that was openly racist. I produce the following evidence:
That kind of mischief is, as Von Hoffman says, pure gold for the Republicans.
Of course Rice will make the ticket top-heavy with respect to foreign policy, and she carries a lot of baggage for voters who are mad about the Iraq war. But with the war going remarkably well at the moment, that may not be a big liability. Moreover, voters are not likely to forget that there is a world beyond our borders, even if the entire Democratic Party has forgotten that. McCain-Rice would have a lot of work to do to convince Americans that they can handle the domestic economy. Still, this ticket is a very interesting idea.
It would be funny if President McCain one day admits that he got the idea from Von Hoffman. It would be even funnier if he says he got it from South Dakota Politics.
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