Chris Cillizzza details the reasons why Condoleeza Rica is not a smart Vice-Presidential pick:
First, and most importantly, Rice has NEVER expressed even a passing interest in elected office. Before serving as National Security Adviser and then Secretary of State, Rice was the provost of Stanford University — a far cry from the positions in the House, Senate and governors office that many of her Cabinet colleagues held. Her oft-stated dream job is not to serve as president but rather as commissioner of the National Football League.
Given her background and past public statements, it’s hard to see Rice with even a passing interest in elected office. While she has spent the last eight years in government, she is one of the least political figures within the Administration — rarely issuing thoughts on political matters outside of her purview as the country’s leading diplomat. To go from policy wonk to political hack in the space of a decade seems very unlikely.
The second reason Rice as vice president seems so far-fetched at the moment is her close practical and symbolic ties to the war in Iraq. The war is deeply unpopular in the country despite a lessening of violence in recent months, and, in the majority of public opinion polls, a large majority of Americans believe the war was not worth fighting.
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Putting Rice on the ticket would remind all of those voters about the war — and McCain’s stance on it. It would also provide a tangible link between the Bush administration and McCain’s campaign. With Bush’s approval numbers as low as they are (and have been for several years), being portrayed as seeking a third Bush term is a stone-cold loser for McCain.
So let’s just end this here and now, okay ? Condi is not going to be Vice-President. She had a chance to enter politics four years ago when there was talk of her leaving Washington and running for Senate in California, which she declined — a wise choice considering that she probably would’ve lost.
She’s a smart woman, which is better than being a politician.
