Condi In '08?

For the last couple of months there has been a lot of rumblings among the Republican grassroots about a possible presidential bid from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. A recent interview with The Washington Times and her refusal to rule out a possible run in '08 are sure to only add fuel to the fire. As I have stated before, I haven't chosen a horse in the '08 race yet, but I am very intrigued by a Rice candidacy. My most important concern come a couple of years from now, for the nomination seekers will begin campaigning almost immediately after the '06 mid-terms, will be what would-be GOP nominee will best advance the Bush legacy for at least another four years? Concerning the War on Terror especially, Secretary Rice will probably be the best choice to accomplish this.

Secretary Rice served as the president's National Security Advisor in his first term, and her and Vice President Cheney were probably the two most influential advisors shaping the president's foreign policy. Furthermore, her first few months on the job over at State have been nothing short of dazzling. She has been a strong advocate for the president's policies in her visits overseas, and it is her canceling of a visit to Egypt that is largely credited with Mubarak's announcement that he will allow multi-party elections next fall.

It also shouldn't go past mentioning that it was Secretary Rice who served in President H.W. Bush's NSA and oversaw Eastern Europe at the time the Berlin Wall fell.

As with any possible candidate, there are some drawbacks to a Rice candidacy. She has never been elected to office, and her area of expertise is exclusively limited to foreign affairs. If Secretary Rice were to run she would have to craft viewpoints on economic and social issues(something she began to do in that interview above). A run for the presidency isn't the best time or place to be doing this, which is why many have stated that it would be best for her to run for Senate in her home state of California to gain some experience in domestic affairs.

But to me these are largely inconsequential issues. Secretary Rice having no experience in domestic affairs is no different than any other governor who will be running, for they will have no experience in foreign affairs. Also, there is a congress and fifty governors and state legislative branches to deal with domestic issues, it is foreign affairs in my view that are the most important to the president. Secretary Rice has also proven herself competent in handling Democratic attacks, as proven in her testimonies before the 9/11 Commission and her nomination hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, so handling fire from the other side really isn't a major concern to me.

Among the major candidates being mentioned so far, I would probably lean towards Secretary Rice at this point. In '08 we will be coming off of eight years of George W. Bush, and I don't want his presidency to be followed by a presidency similar to his father's, who after eight years of Ronald Reagan largely strayed away from Reagan's legacy and paid the price for it. It is important that when that time comes we continue to fight to spread freedom abroad, and Secretary Rice is a solid bet to do that. I'm not sure of her chances right now, but I think there is a good possibility that she will either be the presidential or vice presidential nominee. Either way, Condoleezza Rice will be a vital person in insuring that we continue down the path President Bush has led us these past four years.

UPDATE (11:31 P.M.): In an interview with Tim Russert on Meet The Press today, Secretary Rice declared that she "will not run for president" in '08. This goes past the usual denial of "I have no intention of running at this point" or "I am just worried about being a good governor, senator, etc". I have to take her at her word and assume now that she will not be a candidate in '08, unless of course President Bush were to ask her to run................