Posted on 12/19/2003 2:58:48 AM PST by Reader of news
I think President Bush will be re-elected next year surely. Nevertheless, there is not any sure candidate for Republican presidential nomination in 2008. I think John McCain, Jeb Bush, Rick Perry, Condoleezza Rice, George Pataki and Bill Frist may be candidates.
As I stated, it was not an endorsement.
In wide open election years there are always party "leaders" who are annointed as front runners. Frist is a friend and supporter of GWB, geographically correct, etc. He has favorable resume for all the things 'pundits' like to look at and opine about.
IMO, I don't believe he has a chance even if he decides to pursue the nomination.
Bill Owens has all that plus conservative credentials and stature...he should be a viable candidate.
Craig Benson could represent the new style candidate...primarily from a successful business background, CEO style and credentials, young and not politically tainted or pigeonholed.
No endoresement here...just some observations.
Now, I did find the affirmative action label used as an epithet by the pro-terrorist palestinemonitor.com and an astonishing number of "anti-Zionist" sites. An oh so very reasoned evaluation by protestwarrior.com that simply said, "Condoleeza Rice, the affirmative action National Security Advisor, isn't qualified to be a maid in someone's house." CNN and CBS made a great deal about her quote in response to the Univ. of Mich. lawsuit:
"I believe that while race-neutral means are preferable, it is appropriate to use race as one factor among others in achieving a diverse student body," (CNN, Rice says race can be 'one factor' in considering admissions)
When puzzling over the impact of this one statement, add to it that Newsweek, 13 Dec, 2002 called her anti-affirmative action and a traitor to the black cause. The blackcommentator.com called her the "devil's handmaiden" and (again) a "traitor to her race" for not supporting affirmative action. I guess it depends on which side you are what name you'll call Rice.
It would be great if race didn't have any role in student acceptance and hiring. It should be that way. It sounds like Rice knows the reality of the situation and when slammed by the press for being anti-black, deflected the heat by saying 'I don't like it but it is there.' It would have been better if she made a flat statement against it but that would have made the whole thing worse for Bush and his administration. Remember how intense the media fire was against him then.
The quotes or positions on taxes were hard to find - mostly because as National Security Advisor, Rice had nothing to do with tax policy. Of course, the NY Times and Salon made usual Lefty attacks about her blindly supporting tax cuts. I did find oblique references to the Iraq rebuilding policy and her supporting nothing more than 15% income tax rates, which I could go for here in the US. I'll wait until a campaign or until someone asks her directly what her tax views are before freaking out.
Finally the big bugaboo of the Right, abortion. Rice has repeatedly described herself as "reluctantly pro-choice" but it isn't central to her politics. I have no problem with that - and go ahead and howl.
I mistrust fanatics no matter what side they claim. For example, I enjoy reading Civil War history and the abolition movement was a destructive fanatic movement. Were they right to oppose slavery? Yes. Were they right in their rhetoric and tactics? No. The pro-life movement has the same problem. Rigid and extreme rhetoric and tactics diminishing a good position. This is where a more moderate approach could find a solution when all radicals on both sides can do is spew angry vitriol.
On other positions, Rice is strongly conservative in foreign policy and supports pro-US military action. She speaks with a great deal of Constitutional respect. Rice should be the darling of the NRA as in the Republican convention of 2000, she stated she was a "a Second Amendment absolutist" and opposed all gun control laws.
The strongest language and charges against Rice were on Left sites - token, affirmative-action advisor, mutlimillionare crony, race traitor, etc. They seem scared and angry.
Hmmm, kind of like some of the posts here. I think the rest are genuinely happy to wish Rice success as it will dispel many Leftist lies and turn those lies against the Left. Nothing wrong with that, especially as she looks to have potential for serving in a higher office.
Folks, the security fence was a d****ed stupid idea. Lobotomized morons on crack idea. Let's see - build a big fence across the desert to keep the bad guys out. No such thing ever worked. Look at our own success with the big desert fence along the Mexican border. At first, it just moved the problem to the areas at the ends of the fence and now it leaks like a sieve. The big fence idea doesn't solve the problem - destroying the Palestinian terror network.
Rice has always come down hard against terrorism. I don't see how she can be viewed as pro-Palestinian for being against a dumb idea, especially as the Palestinians hate her for being anti-Palestinian.
I say you're correct. It will be Clark/Clinton 2004. Then Hillary gets to keep her promise that she will not run for President in 2004.
I'm putting my money on this scenario.
True, but I never got the impression that Cheney wanted to become President.
Then there's the ethnic and gender factors. Black Americans would no longer be counted certain for the Dems, with Rice on the ticket. If Hillary runs in '04 or '08, the gender factor is offset by Rice.
Careful, you'll be slammed for 'tokenism' in this thread. *grin* Seriously, I would love to see the reactions. The Jesse and Sharpton crowd would be livid and the NAACP would be spitting hateful invectives at her. It could go a long way to undo the 30 plus years of brainwashing by the Left and show some how hypocritical they are. Still, I think that the DemoRats will still pull the larger portion of black votes but the hold would be weakened.
The gender vote might be a nifty split, though.
I figured as much, but I also figured the point needed to be jumped up and down on a few times to dispel the silliness.
Thanks, I agree she has great potential and shouldn't be given a one issue litmus test.
I don't know enough about Owens to decide one way or the other but Rice would be a killer addition to any ticket combination.
Condi Rice is a real conservative. She's a charismatic speaker. She's also physically attractive.
A minor problem is that she's unmarried. You can count on the Dems to start a whisper campaign about why.
But I'd love to see her run, and I'd love to see her as president.
That's some nice bullsh!ting, but she's still pro-AA.
If she is so pro-affirmative action, why is she demonized by the black groups that suport it?
What do you have a problem with? Conservatism? It seems you have no problem with every liberal position there is
Oh no - I disagree with you - I must be a liberal. Funny, I guess supporting gun rights is liberal, supporting a strong defense is liberal, anti-terror is liberal, freedom of speech is liberal, blah blah blah.
One issue politics is not conservatism - conservatives have a wide variety of opinions. But then, you're arguing from a point on the spectrum that makes Buchanan and David Duke seem like moderates (whoops, wait, Buchanan was the first poster boy for the Constitution party before the Reform party offered him more cash). Do those jackboots ever give you blisters?
And I really wonder why it's so hard for you people just to accept the truth and admit what you're doing? No, instead you write paragraphs and paragraphs dodging it. Again, if Rice was a white man, we'd have never heard of him
Maybe because "we people" don't have a problem with her being black and have some admiration for her.
The question is, why do you have such a big problem with it?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.