she is brilliant and i think the world of her, but i do now realize that she’s not a politician and therefore not a good VP choice.

i wish her well!

I have a hard time seeing Rice elected in CA, given the sheer irrational hatred the left has for anyone associated with Bush – surely we all recall the horrible racist crap that has been hurled at her by the left, largely without significant opposition (the phrase “routine denunciation” comes to mind)?

. . .

Merovign on June 19, 2008 at 11:20 AM

Au contraire. All she would have to do is “come out” and she’d landslide. FTR, I don’t think or care if she is or is not.

Condi is a fine lady. Just not the right lady.

She needs to go be the governor of california and get the wishy washyness beaten out of her. Then she’ll be ready.

reaganaut on June 19, 2008 at 11:08 AM

for putting Lehuster and his ‘pathetic imbecile’ comment in his place.

Condi Rice is perhaps the most talented and impressive person I have ever seen in public life. That she did not ‘clean house’ at State is undoubtedly because she was not told by her boss to do so. Contrary to the image the left has of him, W does not pick fights where he doesn’t need to.

. . . which has not pleased the conservative base that McCain arguably needs to address with his pick for VP.

I am increasing concerned that Sen. McCain has no interest whatsoever in pleasing the conservative base. He is seemingly obsessed with pandering to the ‘independents’ and ‘Reagan Democrats’, to the exclusion of any other considerations. My guess is that he assumes everyone on the right will vote for him over Obambi (and in my case, he’s correct).

That probably means another Democrat-lite for his VP running mate. Bloomberg (would help with the Jewish vote in Florida and maybe even NYC)?

Er…I hope not.

. President Bush missed an opportunity to do a thorough house-cleaning early in his first term…

Yes, he called the New Tone.

(he was probably unaware of the problem)

Can’t argue with that.

For Condi: Goodbye, good-riddance, and when you go away, please stay gone. Go back to Stanford, get back on a PBS board, and win a prize for shafting Israel.

But the problem with the Department of State is that it’s overrurn with Clinton bureaucrats who sabotage everything the Administration tries to do. President Bush missed an opportunity to do a thorough house-cleaning early in his first term (he was probably unaware of the problem), then was too preoccupied with the consequences of 9/11 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to do it later.

He was totally snakebit when Undersecretary Richard Armitage leaked Valerie Plame’s name to the press (and Robert Novak, a self-proclaimed “conservative”, didn’t help by identifying him as an unnamed “White House official”), and instead of canning Armitage, Bush and Ashcroft agreed to the Fitzpatrick fishing expedition that snared Scooter Libby in a White-House-vs.-the-Press legal tangle that the Press always wins because the MSM can lie at will and spin the public to their side. After the Wilson/Plame/Libby fiasco, the Clintonites at State knew they could get away with anything their treasonous hearts desired. Condi did what she could, but she was hamstrung by the bureaucrats.

McCain has frequently railed against corruption in Congress. If he is elected Chief Executive, can he clean out the State Department? No doubt, the MSM will label this as a “witch hunt”, but the State Department is the Hogwarts School of political subversion. If McCain is elected, Happy Hunting!

…sending Barbara Boxer to Stanford…

Babs shouldn’t be sent anywhere she might have any influence on anybody at all.

I’d say send her to the JPL. They’ve got a great record of failing to find intelligent life anywhere. They could continue it for decades just with her.

Condi Rice is a true Patriot and she deserve Peace & Happiness in her life, which her opponents would never give if she runs for office.

Loyalty & Rice are inseparable, unlike Powell.

Anita on June 19, 2008 at 9:58 AM

I’ll bet you that in a year when she is thankfully out of government (ensconced in her ivory tower at Stanford) she will do a Scott McClellan and turn on her benefactors Bush and the G.O.P.) Loyalty towards incompetents is not a virtue.

Dont’ worry, maybe someday – if you apply yourself, you can move up to the ranks of pathetic imbecile.

You are right, I would have to apply myself. She, on the other hand, is a pathetic imbecile who moved up without having to exert herself at all!

Lehuster on June 19, 2008 at 1:26 PM

Excellent reort!
Condi Clueless was the very definition of a mediocrity and Bush’s personnel judgment was pathetic – essentially Powell and Rice were affirmative action appointments (who did not even add a single Black vote to the GOP column).

Wade, from my balcony on a clear day I can see Condi’s smoking wreckage of a foreign policy in every direction. Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Rafah, Gaza, Annapolis, Lebanon, sheesh even in Syria faling to support hitting the Nuclear Reactor and suggesting we instead ‘confront’ Assad!!

Israel’s failed leaders are just as much to blame for following along with the appeasement strategy.. but wow has Condi left a royal mess around here, we are looking at bitter missile wars on every front & every border in the next few years :(

She’s a policy wonk, not a public figure to lead the nation.

She’s not even a good policy wonk! She’s just an embarrassment who has been promoted far beyond her innate competence.

Dont’ worry, maybe someday – if you apply yourself, you can move up to the ranks of pathetic imbecile.

You are right, I would have to apply myself. She, on the other hand, is a pathetic imbecile who moved up without having to exert herself at all!

We need a Fred Thompson type in that position.

ought to get their heads examined.

james23 on June 19, 2008 at 12:37 PM

Rather than post flames, could you post something that might add to this thread. Like facts.

Peter Principle
davidk on June 19, 2008 at 10:33 AM

I don’t think Peter Principle applies here. National Security Advisor and Sec. of State require different skills. If she was promoted up through the State Dept them Peter Principle would more likely apply. Bush erred on the skill set when he appointed Condi to Sec. of State. He ended her career and she contributed by sticking to him when he decided to stop leading. Now Peter Principle applies to Bush, OK as Governor, not a good President.