Rumors abound that Condoleezza Rice might be a viable vice presidential candidate for the Republican ticket. Wouldn’t that make for an interesting general election? 
The rumors started after she spent some time talking at a closed-door conservative brainstorming session. Apparently, she went in and talked about her childhood and upbringing and about what she stands for now. According to an article by the LA Times, she described herself as “mildly pro-choice.” (Side note: Can you be “mildly” pro-choice?)
What makes her stop-in at this session extraordinary is that, while it is the kind of meeting designed to decide agendas for the Republican party, it is almost unheard of for a party official of the Secretary level to attend. It is even less heard of that someone of Rice’s stature would spend time speaking.
Could she have been campaigning for the VP spot “under the table”? Possibly. McCain hasn’t picked his running mate yet, saying that he wants the person he chooses as a running mate to be in place well before he makes his announcement.
What makes this even more confusing are the statements made by Rice herself. Rice has gone on the record saying that she is looking forward to leaving Washington when the next administration (whoever leads it) takes office. She has said that she is looking forward to going back to life as an ordinary citizen. Would someone who hopes to be listed on the ticket in November be talking about such things?
Of course, Condoleezza Rice might be just what John McCain needs to put his party ahead of the Democrats come November. She’s from California, and she’s popular with the conservative Republican groups that McCain will need to hit up for donations for his campaign. Really, McCain could do a lot worse than Condoleezza Rice. Not that’s she’s running. Yet. Maybe.
I think Condi would be an exceptional choice. She could really add a lot of life to the McCain campaign. I could see her doing to the Republican base what Barack has done for the Dems.