Idle Speculation

If you’re one of those people who gets sick of constant political campaigning and thinks it is insane to discuss the 2008 election in January, 2006, then click away now. Please, I don’t want to be responsible for making you scowl in disgust.

Stanley Crouch considers a Clinton-Rice matchup. I suspect it would bring out the worst in both bases. Conservatives loathe no politician so much as Hillary Clinton. The left sees Condi as a neocon architect of America’s fascist empire. All the hatred they feel for Bush would be turned against Rice. Moreover, the racial element would make their smears especially ugly, such as the leftist portrayals of Rice as Aunt Jemima.

Rice's status as a single woman and Hillary’s rather unconventional marriage would probably bring out a smearfest of psychologizing from both sides. Oh, yeah -- it could get ugly.

If we could get past the hysteria and ad hominem attacks, it would be interesting to see two intelligent women competing for the highest office in the land. At this moment I would favor Rice, but that could easily change if she pandered to the religious right or made “volunteerism” the central focus of her campaign.

Would running a black woman as the Republican candidate siphon off black and women voters from the Democrats? I doubt it. For all that multiculturalism is held as an ideal in our culture, I think most people know it’s BS. The left would regard Rice as “inauthentic,” as a traitor to her sex and race. Democrats would vote Democrat.

I think the chance of Clinton being the Democrat candidate is excellent, simply because she has the organization her husband built. I don’t know if I’d bet the house on her getting the nomination, but I’d bet the shed and the doghouse.

The chance of Rice getting the nomination is a longshot. For what it’s worth, she says she is not interested in running. If she ran she would have more competition from successful governors than Hillary would have. Going from Secretary of State to President -- has that ever happened? Did Thomas Jefferson do it?

Rice’s best chance would be if Bush put his weight behind her. They seem to have a good working relationship and the First Lady likes her. If Jeb does not run, it could happen.