32 Comments

1. Silicon valley Jim:

I don’t see anything in Ann Althouse’s post about Condoleezza Rice. She talks about Feingold for President, but not a Feingold-Rice ticket.

While I think that Ms. Althouse writes a pretty good blog, I think that she’s dead wrong about Feingold as a Presidential candidate. I’d be surprised if as many potential American voters could identify him correctly as can identify, say, Dennis Kucinich correctly, much less Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, Joe Biden, Teddy Kennedy, etc. That seems to me to say something about his alleged charisma, and is a limiting factor by itself (although I do note that Bill Clinton was virtually unknown outside Arkansas in 1991).

Feb 6, 2005 - 8:43 am 2. Silicon valley Jim:

Oops. She was talking about Feingold running against Rice. I just had to keep scrolling down. Reading what Roger actually wrote might have been a good idea, too. My bad.

I still think that she’s wrong about Feingold’s attractiveness as a Presidential candidate.

Feb 6, 2005 - 8:47 am 3. Sandy P:

The extent to which she is micromanaging the forthcoming Sharon-Abbas summit we may never know, but she is smart enough to know that the more the two parties seem to be working things out for themselves, the more likely a successful result.–

Let’s hope she learned from Nancy Reagan. I seem to remember a triumph at – I can’t spell that city.

Ronnie would have been 94 today….

—

As to Feingold – The Incumbent Protection Act should disqualify him from anything.

Has he said anything on the vote fraud in Milwaukee and Racine????

Ohhh, if McCain were more healthy – we could have had another McCain – Feingold match-up.

After all, look how well the other one turned out….

Feb 6, 2005 - 8:59 am 4. Terrye:

I gotta tell you, I don’t know anybody here in Indiana who even knows who Feingold is. That should not disquaify him, in fact we might do better with more unknowns.

I hear that Arnold is trying to break up the incumbent retention plan both parties have going in CA. Good luck. He said the system is designed to protect the party in power and not the public. I agree, but at the same time that is how these folks make a name for themselves.

Feb 6, 2005 - 9:05 am 5. ricpic:

The topic of Condi Rice as the Republican presidential candidate has come up frequently on The Savage Nation (Michael Savage’s show). His response is that she doesn’t fit the mold. I have to agree with Savage.

Although it would be the most brilliant political move the Republicans could ever make, they won’t do it. It’s not prejudice, exactly. It’s just that she’s not – quite enough – “one of us.”

Vice-Presidential candidate on the other hand…maybe.

Feb 6, 2005 - 9:14 am 6. Clio:

Another bland, reasonably handsome, left-leaning senator for prez? Plus ca change, plus ca meme chose. Anyway, Howie’s going to pull a Dick Cheney, ain’t he (c’mon, you know he will!) by finding HIMSELF the most plausible man in ought-eight.

As for Rice, she has at least a decade of seasoning before a run for the presidency is even remotely plausible. I’m not counting her out, just saying the Republicans have a deep bench and there’s no particular reason they should commit to her in the next cycle or two.

As for things in the MidEast, it’s breathtaking to see how Sharon and Abbas keep talking tough for their respective bases while inching their chairs closer together week by week. You go guys!

Feb 6, 2005 - 9:27 am 7. mongai:

I am looking forward to her policy speech in Paris. Someone like Dr. Rice can wipe away years of biased front pages and editorials in one fell swoop. She has the power, like the elections in Iraq, to talk over the MSM and go directly to the people. Of course a few days later the old spin will return but the (wonderful) damage will have been done. More people will have learned to see through all the smoke. Another person who is able to do this is Arnold. When he came to Japan he was interviewed by our equivalent to Dan Rather and he just kicked him up and down. All the cliches about Bush and Iraq were left scattered to the wind.

I too like Condi for President. A careful reading of the State of the Union might yield the thought that a lot of the groundwork for the Republican party to maintain power for a few decades or more is now underway and Condi is the key. The Republican’s control the cash and welcoming this are a whole new group of African American leaders in the inner cities of America. Conservative, not Progressive (or con men like Jackson). Look at Baltimore. Look at Philadelphia. As goes Baltimore so goes Maryland. As goes Philadelphia so goes Pennsylvania. Candidate Rice would solidify all this in a very dramatic way. She also has a great deal of appeal to red staters. She is very conservative. For example, on the second amendment she is an absolutist. And she allows conservatives to say “No I am not.” The conservatives I meet aren’t and they’d like a chance to say it out loud.

She has also become part of the Bush family and I think since grandfather Bush in the Senate and up to know they have all been very good on civil rights. I think they really want this as part of their legacy to America. Rove too would be watering at the mouth if given the chance to run, or subtly direct, a campaign headed by candidate Rice. Sorry about the long post.

Feb 6, 2005 - 9:29 am 8. mongai:

now, not “know”

It is well past my bedtime. All other errors in grammar, spelling, and thought that are pointed out wins you free sushi and beer.

(You have to pay for the plane ticket yourself.)

Feb 6, 2005 - 9:35 am 9. mongai:

“There cannot be an absence of moral content in American foreign policy,” she says. “Europeans giggle at this, but we are not European, we are American, and we have different principles.”– Dr. Rice speaking to sophisticates in Europe yesterday. Well said!

Feb 6, 2005 - 9:50 am 10. Terrye:

mongai:

I think there is a desire on the part of the Bushies to bring back the core of what they believe to be Republicanism and that is liberty. I can not think of Rice without thinking of Lincoln. I may not always agree with all the policies but I believe this is how they perceive themselves.

Feb 6, 2005 - 9:56 am 11. David Thomson:

ìWhile I think that Ms. Althouse writes a pretty good blog, I think that she’s dead wrong about Feingold as a Presidential candidate.î

I think Iím going to start screaming in agony. What world is Ann Althouse living on? The national Democratic Party died on November 2. Itís over! The radical Left can now veto any presidential candidate that does not bow down to their demands. The Democratic party is only viable in races for the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, and within the individual states themselves.

I have already ordered my Condoleezza Rice for President 2008 bumper sticker. It should be on my car by the end of the week. She merely needs to earn 20% of the black vote. I cannot think of a realistic scenario where a Democratic candidate can win if this occurs.

Feb 6, 2005 - 10:08 am 12. mongai:

Terrye,

Free sushi and beer for helping me understand the underbrush (underbush?).

Feb 6, 2005 - 10:19 am 13. Catherine:

mongal & Terrye

She has also become part of the Bush family and I think since grandfather Bush in the Senate and up to know they have all been very good on civil rights. I think they really want this as part of their legacy to America.

I have had this exact feeling myself, strongly.

I think George Bush, and no doubt his family and friends, as well, want to help elect the first black president of this country.

I suspect it’s a conscious goal. They are grooming her for the presidency. (My guess is that she won’t run for president in the next election, but might be on the ticket as vice president.)

My understanding is that the Bush family were leaders in the Civil Rights movement in Texas way back when.

Feb 6, 2005 - 10:29 am 14. charlotte:

Mongai,

Well-written post and astute observations. I share your optimism for Rice’s political prospects, although am not sure she’d be slotted for the top of a ticket in ‘08, since she’s never held elective office. I think Catherine may be right about Rice as VP.

Now, to the real business at hand. My daughter and I will be in Tokyo in a few months, and she’s a sushi fiend. May I point out that you had a few missing commas and one misplaced apostrophe to earn your generous reward of sushi and beer?

update: nevermind. The sushi has already been promised to a well-deserving commenter!

Feb 6, 2005 - 10:35 am 15. mongai:

Charlotte,

Another winner!! (contest is now over.) But you still have to buy some train tickets in order to collect. Destination: Kyoto.

Feb 6, 2005 - 10:54 am 16. gc:

Mr. Simon

I am a big fan of your blog, I am shocked to see you, a PRO, make the mistake of “shrinking” violet. The term is SHIRKING violet. Get it together buddy, us literati need to hold the line.

Keep up the good work, sorry to be a pest.

Feb 6, 2005 - 11:19 am 17. Roger:

My excuse is that I normally try to avoid clichés. [Yeah, right.-ed.]

Feb 6, 2005 - 11:23 am 18. gc:

Well, it appears in the American Heritage dictionary as shrinking, so, apparently we have transmogrified the saying, as is our wont. While I prefer the original, I am all for American rugged individualism and I guess one cannot say it is wrong. My mistake.

oh yeah…. GO CONDI!!!

Feb 6, 2005 - 11:36 am 19. thibaud:

Re presidential candidates, the Dems’ big problem is that the Senate is a launching pad for losers in presidential races. The strongest and most successful candidates, including 4 of the last 5 presidents, have been governors. This is because the Senate today encourages politicians to split differences, to posture without addressing core issues, and generally to avoid the messy job of building coalitions that can yield practical solutions to extremely divisive social and federal-state issues.

By contrast, anyone who’s been a successful governor will have succeeded in addressing issues of national concern such as: budget-balancing, medicare, welfare, health care spending generally, god gays guns abortion, federalism and (in the southwest and CA) immigration.

So I’ll predict that there is no senator today who will make a compelling ie winning presidential candidate in 2008. Not McCain, not Hillary, not Obama or any other senator.

The Dems’ best hope– their only hope, really– in 2008 is the phenomenally skilled and successful centrist governor of Tennessee, Phil Bredesen.

Feb 6, 2005 - 12:09 pm 20. Clio:

Mongai,

Not sure what you’re trying to say about Baltimore and Philly. Baltimore is currently run by a fairly moderate white Democrat, Martin O’Malley, not a Black Republican. Philadelphia’s mayor is a black Democrat, but his record is so so at best (remember the feds wire-tapping his office in an ongoing investigation of blatant corruption at the highest level?). As for Baltimore and Philly leading their respective states by the nose, I’d have to say that’s a bit of a stretch too. Much of the dynamism, money and clout in Maryland comes from the DC suburbs, especially Montgomery County. O’Malley wanted to jump straight into the governor’s seat last time round, but was thwarted by the County Commissioner of Montgomery, Doug Duncan. Baltimore and the DC region cancelled each other out, and the prize went to a Republican. Have less intimate knowledge of Penna, so will leave that to others.

Feb 6, 2005 - 12:13 pm 21. mongai:

Clio,

If the Democrats start losing states like Maryland they can’t win the presidency. If African-Americans in Baltimore shift towards the Republican party the Democrats can’t win Maryland no matter the money and support the Democrats manage to maintain in Montgomery County. (I grew up in Montgomery County, full disclosure.) Following the President’s initiatives Gov. Earlich (Rep.) has been very active in a whole series of reforms that help wrestle the power away from traditional power blocks in the inner city. What do you think No Child Left Behind does? Or giving money to religious organizations that are providing social welfare functions? The Republicans are going over the heads of traditional political machines in the inner cities and empowering leaders who understand the damage someone like Jesse Jackson has done to places like the South Side of Chicago. They are getting results. If Philadelphia’s African-American vote shifts, even a little, then Pennsylvania has become a red state for years and years. If there is a subtle shift in Detroit then Michigan is locked up. Milwaukee, then Wisconsin is red. Mrs. Bush is going to be spending a lot of time with these new leaders over the next four years, as was made clear in the SOTU. The President will join her. Also these new leaders are going to continue getting a lot of money. Heating things up. Heating things up. Dr. Rice’s candidacy in 2008 would be a hammer hitting the hot metal.

Feb 6, 2005 - 12:51 pm 22. David Thomson:

ìThey are getting results. If Philadelphia’s African-American vote shifts, even a little, then Pennsylvania has become a red state for years and years.î

Yup, thatís right. The black vote is the number one reason why the Democratic Party has even had a chance in recent years. This voting bloc, especially in the large cities, kept many states blue. I think around 13% of the black community voted for President Bush last November 2. A jump of just another 7% probably spells doom for the Democrats. On top of that, the GOP will likely increase its Jewish, Hispanic, Asian, and even gay vote by least another 3% in 2008.

Last but not least, a ìmoderateî Democrat will not be able to earn their partyís presidential nomination. A few people are trying to run away from reality. Shucks, we all prefer living in the land of make believe. I still daydream that Shaq OíNeal will beg me for mercy on the basketball court.

Feb 6, 2005 - 1:05 pm 23. Cynic:

“The extent to which she is micromanaging the forthcoming Sharon-Abbas summit we may never know, but she is smart enough to know that the more the two parties seem to be working things out for themselves, the more likely a successful result.”

“Baker Institute offers ’street map’ for Mideast peace”

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/3023697

“Djerejian, a former U.S. ambassador to Syria and Israel, said the policy paper, “Creating a Roadmap Implementation Process Under United States Leadership,” is a “street map to the road map” because of its detailed recommendations.”

So who is trying to micromanage things?

What with the Palestinians rejecting Israeli gestures to Abbas and Baker getting in on the act again we seem back to square one.

Feb 6, 2005 - 1:06 pm 24. mongai:

p.s. But wouldn’t she have to become Vice President in order to make it work? She can’t resign as Secretary of State in order to campaign in Iowa and still maintain credibility. Perhaps 2008 is too early. Oh well–got myself all worked up for nothing.

Feb 6, 2005 - 1:30 pm 25. Kyda Sylvester:

Yes, that’s exactly what the Democrats need for their next presidential candidate. Another senator who’s to the left of John Kerry with even less presence. By all means. Bring. It. On.

I’m a Condi fan from way back. If things go well during her tenure as SOS, and there’s no reason to think they won’t, she will make a formidable candidate in ‘08 even without having held elected office (there was talk at one time that she might come home and run for governor first, but that was before Arnold). After all, she will have been the President’s right hand for eight years. I question whether any woman is electable in these necessarily testosterone driven times. However, Rice already has demonstrated that she has a bigger set than most of the men of her acquaintance. Add that to the package of brains, acumen, beauty, culture, elegance, talent and those oh so useful feminine wiles and it sure sounds like a winning combination to me.

So the first woman POTUS and the first AA POTUS could very well be one in the same and she’ll be a Republican. Imagine that.

Feb 6, 2005 - 5:02 pm 26. Skookumchuk:

Beating up Dominique de Villepin with one hand while playing a Chopin etude with the other.

My kinda woman.

Feb 6, 2005 - 6:09 pm 27. Terrye:

The only Democratic Senator that could stand a chance is Even Bayh and I am not sure he could take Indiana.

mongai, I will take you up opn the beer but no thanks on the raw fish.

Feb 6, 2005 - 7:27 pm 28. Sandy P:

–I am looking forward to her policy speech in Paris.–

Ack, that’s not important.

What’s important is will she be wearing Chanel or American????

Feb 6, 2005 - 8:10 pm 29. Paul Snively:

Terrye, Terrye, Terrye. I once was a Hoosier like you: born in Terre Haute, raised in Columbus (yes, Indiana, not Ohio). I once thought “sushi” meant “raw fish,” too, but it doesn’t necessarily. You’re probably thinking of sashimi. There are plenty of cooked varieties of sushi; you should give one a try.

On the other hand, you’re in good company: my parents, who still live in Columbus, come out to LA relatively often to visit, and I still haven’t convinced them to try sushi either.

Feb 6, 2005 - 8:27 pm 30. Kyda Sylvester:

I once had high hopes for Evan Bayh. Yes, he comes from the Senate, but he was a popular 2-term governor in a red state. Being a moderate from the mid-west, he’d be palatable to the south. He’s good looking, smart, personable and has an attractive family. I’ve never known him to make an outright fool of himself. Now, however, he seems to be joining ranks with the wackadoo wing of his party. If he spends the next four years pandering to his base, he might as well kiss his national ambitions goodbye.

Feb 6, 2005 - 10:33 pm 31. mongai:

Terrye,

Paul Snively has it right. Though I don’t know how you feel about having to eat sitting before a lot of raw fish. Kirin Beer! Asahi beer, given it is part of the Asahi family and thus connected to Asahi Newspaper, is like drinking The Guardian.

Mongai

p.s. We actually aren’t big sushi fans either. Kobe and Ohmi beef in a nice sukiyaki!

Feb 7, 2005 - 2:04 am 32. Matt Evans:

I’m not prepared to go to the mat for Rice yet. Give her a year or two at State and see if she cleans up over there. Rice is a risky proposition anyway- while we “enlightened” folks have little to no problem with a qualified black woman running the country, I suspect there will still be plenty of reservations (thats putting a polite spin on it) about a Rice presidency. I’d like to see her as a VP candidate in 2008, with a Pres. run in 2012, assuming things don’t come crashing in around her at State.

Feb 7, 2005 - 5:43 am

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