Condi Rice: future Vice President?

What with the persistent Obama/Clinton face-off snaring the majority of the headlines, it's easy to forget that the Democratic Party leadership contest is simply a prelude to another event - the small matter of an American general election. There's a very real chance that Republican candidate John McCain could be filling those presidential shoes before too long, and stories have been circulating about who he would want as his deputy.

One popular name to drop is none other than Condoleezza Rice, who - no matter how many times the idea is denied - always seems to bubble to the surface of the primordial rumour stew. Republican strategist Dan Senor reckons that "Condi Rice has been actively, actually in recent weeks, campaigning for this," while Rice herself dismisses everything with a rather offhand notion: apparently she doesn't "do politics."

There are some who hope Condi's claims are simply a double-bluff, though. Hugely popular within the Republican party, and despite her reasoning that "It's time for new blood", her installation as McCain's running mate would generate a huge degree of enthusiasm.

Also - if you want to take a more cynical slant, which we do, thanks for asking - she'd act as an ideal balancing act against possible rivals. Want a black leader? Want a woman in charge? Hey - why not vote for a black woman and cover all bases? Trivial, manipulative and offensive - the notion ticks all boxes . But this is an election lead-up which has spawned Hilary Clinton's '3am' ad campaign, so maybe meaningless frivolity is the order of the day ...

Written by C J Davies on 7 Apr 2008 10:50 PM. There are 1 comments so far. Permalink