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Dan Senor: Condoleezza Rice Is Pursuing the VP Spot

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April 06, 2008 11:48 AM

ABC News' Mary Bruce Reports: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is actively courting the vice presidential nomination, Republican strategist Dan Senor said.

“Condi Rice has been actively, actually in recent weeks, campaigning for this,” Senor said this morning on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”

According to Senor, Rice has been cozying up to the Republican elite.

“There's this ritual in Washington: The Americans for Tax Reform, which is headed by Grover Norquist, he holds a weekly meeting of conservative leaders -- about 100, 150 people, sort of inside, chattering, class types,” Senor said. “They all typically get briefings from political conservative leaders. Ten days ago, they had an interesting visit -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice -- the first time a secretary of state has visited the Wednesday meeting.”

Senor explained that Rice’s history in public office would make her a prime candidate, especially in light of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain’s emphasis on experience throughout his campaign.

“What the McCain campaign has to consider is whether or not they want to pick a total outsider, a fresh face, someone a lot younger than him, a governor who people aren't that familiar with," Senor said. "The challenge they're realizing is that they'll have to have to spend 30 to 45 days, which they won't have at that point, educating the American public about who this person is.

“The other category is someone who people instantly say, the second they see that announcement, 'I get it, that person could be president tomorrow,'" Senor added. "Condi Rice is an option.”

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April 6, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (881)

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Isn't she the one who said earlier "its not in my genes", when she was asked!

Has her genes changed now????

Why all these politicians do not stick on their words?

Posted by: Peace | Apr 6, 2008 2:52:34 PM

As a lifelong Republican, I and MANY of my conservative friends will leave the party if this kind of person is the VP nomination.

Thanks for spitting on us loyal Southerners, GOP.

Posted by: Jimbo | Apr 6, 2008 3:14:28 PM

This makes Condi look like a liar and it doesn't help that she carries the baggage of the much-hated Bush administration. Part of the baggage is that she and Dubya are way too liberal.
Just remember, Dubya's selling out the country to Mexico and China, etc and spending like a drunken Demo, and Condi's recent comment about Americans having a birth defect: racism. That may be true, (it's impossible to live in a racist society and not be racist), but she sounds like the Obamas now that she said that. The conservative base of the Repub party won't go for Condi, heck, they won't go for McCain!
Colin Powell is liberal too, but I'd say he's a much better pick if you gotta have color on the ticket. The problem is, he really doesn't want it, he means it and I believe him.

Posted by: Christie | Apr 6, 2008 3:28:04 PM

If McCain would just ask Colin Powell to be his V.P we would all be Happy.No matter what party we belong to.

Posted by: Bill | Apr 6, 2008 4:15:48 PM

Senator Obama has not been joined to the
body of Rev. Wright. Neither do I believe that he attended services each Sunday. Fox News' Hannity and Rush Limbaugh pulled this stunt to
allow Sen. McCain to move ahead. Three sound bites do not make Rev. Wright a bigot. Why didn't they publish all the
other good sermons about Jesus and God? Because it was not in their interests to
do so.

Posted by: Plainspeaking | Apr 6, 2008 4:29:10 PM

Rice would be a horrrible mistake. She is a terrible Secretary of State. She knows nothing on how to handle the arabs. So, she is educated. We need someone like Romney in there.

Posted by: Todd | Apr 6, 2008 6:03:35 PM

Ken:
Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and
John McCain lack executive experience!
Condi would be a great choice in my
opinion and a great president down the road!

Posted by: reaganfan | Apr 6, 2008 6:24:03 PM

I don't like McCain, but having Condi has his running mate would most certainly score the 2 votes that come with my household.

Posted by: Pete | Apr 6, 2008 6:34:13 PM

She's a pro-abort. They will not get my vote.

Posted by: Ruthie | Apr 6, 2008 6:34:58 PM

Personally I would be excited to see condi as a running mate. She would prove to be an excellent foil to either Hillary or Obama. If anything, she's much more qualified than either of them to be President.

Posted by: Paul | Apr 6, 2008 6:36:59 PM

Fantastic VP. I am all for it!

Posted by: Lloyd | Apr 6, 2008 6:39:15 PM

For McCain to be successful he must address his shortcomings with economic policy. While I like Rice and agree with her on many points, Romney would be a much stronger addition to the ticket.

Posted by: Brent Williams | Apr 6, 2008 6:40:34 PM

I believe she would do just fine. She would take direction and follow through with enthusiasm on whatever direction or mission McCain requested.

Posted by: Dave | Apr 6, 2008 6:40:48 PM

ABSOLUTELY!! Condi is the ONE potential VP that would bring me confidently to McCain's column on the ballot - the best (possible) news I've heard today.

Posted by: Missourimule | Apr 6, 2008 6:41:04 PM

I like McCain and this pick would hurt him. Condi is not remotely qualified. McCain has done a good job of subtly distancing himself from the failed W. foreign policy of unilateralism. He'll finish reasonably what was wrongly started in Iraq, however will also work to re-establish American credibility with allies. Condi's foreign policy ideas have been bad and she basically was a yes-person for W. A lot of terrible decisions were made on her watch. I think this would be a very bad choice for McCain.

Posted by: Peter | Apr 6, 2008 6:41:18 PM

Now there's a veep choice that I can go for. She is strong willed and probably about as close as you can get to an honest political candidate. it's also a chance for conservatives and republicans alike to show it's not blacks we dislike....it's democrats....black, white or polka-dotted.

Posted by: Hkinsey | Apr 6, 2008 6:41:54 PM

Rice is many times over a better orator then Obama and she appears to love this country with her patriotism.I still can't believe people are putting down Bush for taking out Hussein.How much more evidence do we need comparing Sadam with a modern day Hitler. People are totally stupid if they don't see the aftermath of Sadam's mass destruction of people in Iraq. Perhaps a non believer needs to get a shovel and start digging in the huge amount of mass graves still appearing in Iraq.

Posted by: scott | Apr 6, 2008 6:43:38 PM

She would be an outstanding choice. To have so many libs posting, just goes to show what a threat she would be. It would certainly take the first woman, first black out of the dems sails.

She is a brillaint woman with more experience than obama and clinton combined. I would actually forgive McCain the Boeing/Northup EADS disaster, if he chose her.

Posted by: Tina | Apr 6, 2008 6:44:14 PM

She is not pro-choice. She is against federal funding for abortion. This is a perfectly reasonable position because ultimately as Americans, everyone has the freedom to believe and do what they choose. Personally, I am against abortion, but if someone else wants to have one, they can feel free as long as my money does not pay for it. Any of the democratic choices are pro-choice and will use federal funds for abortion, so it is very silly to say that you would not vote republican because you think that condi is pro-choice. I think she is a very smart woman, much smarter than McCain, and would be an excellent choice for VP.

Posted by: Allison | Apr 6, 2008 6:44:15 PM

Oh, by the way, the minute Obama came out for a Federal Law against Concealed Carry, I knew that the odds of a Rice VP nomination went waaaaaaaaay up.

Obama the Gun Grabber. Obama the Enemy of our 2nd Amendment Rights.

Condi: the 2nd Amendment Absolutist.

Learn it, Love it, Live it!

Posted by: section9 | Apr 6, 2008 6:45:29 PM

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