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Condi at the Convention: Former Secretary of State Poised for Prime Spot at GOP Gathering

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12 years ago

August 7, 2012

Condoleezza Rice is among seven headliners to address the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Aug. 27-30. With the release of the slate of Republican National Convention headline speakers Monday, the GOP has political pundits and voters buzzing anew about Mitt Romney’s choice for running mate.

In addition to Condoleezza Rice, the list includes:

Florida Gov. Rick Scott
Arizona Sen. John McCain
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley
Ohio Gov. John Kasich
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez

Romney’s VP announcement could come “any time now,” according to the Tampa Bay Times, which was the first to publish the list of top convention speakers Monday.

Could it be Condi?

Although Rice is popular with many moderate Republicans, she might not be conservative enough to balance the GOP ticket. She’s on the record as calling President Obama’s election in 2008 “inspirational” and an “extraordinary step forward.” Until 1982, Rice identified herself as a Democrat.

On July 12, The Drudge Report said Rice was a top contender with the headline “Romney Narrows VP Choices; Condi Emerges as Frontrunner.” The Washington Post blog “The Fix” was quick to respond in an item headlined, “Condoleezza Rice for vice president? Nope (still).”

“The Fix” points out that Rice’s inclusion on the ticket would open the door for President Obama to criticize her role in the Iraq War during the George W. Bush administration:

“To put Rice on the ticket would be to re-litigate the debate over weapons of mass destruction and the underlying motives of our reasons for going into Iraq in the first place.”

Then there’s the abortion issue:

“Rice’s position on abortion is also fuzzy enough to be a potential problem for her at the Republican National Convention if she was the pick. ‘I have not wanted to see the law changed because it is an area I worry about the government being involved in,’ she told Katie Couric during an interview for 60 Minutes in 2006.”

A Rice vice presidential candidacy would be a historical milestone that Republicans might like to own. She became the first African-American woman to serve as Secretary of State when President George W. Bush appointed her in 2005.

An op-ed piece from USNews.com on July 20 summed up more reasons that Rice would be a smart choice for Romney. Mary Kate Cary, a White House speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush, pointed to positive polls and Rice’s impressive personal and professional biography.

Not to mention:

“She’s great on television and would run circles around Joe Biden in a debate; she’s more than qualified to serve as president if needed, and has been in the White House situation room more times than anyone on the short list.”

So who is on the short list?

As the Tampa Bay Times points out, many of the people who’ve been discussed as potential Romney running mates are not among the seven headliners revealed recently. They include:

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty
Ohio Sen. Rob Portman
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush
New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan
Louisiana Gov. Bobby JindalNotably, the convention keynoter has not yet been named, and there’s still time for Romney to tap any of those listed above or someone no one expects.

Gov. Martinez of New Mexico, who is one of the seven convention headliners, could be a viable alternative to Rubio if Romney wants to make the Latino vote a priority.

Influential conservatives Stephen Hayes and William Kristol hope Romney will “go bold” with a choice like Ryan or Rubio. Their joint op-ed piece in the Weekly Standard emphatically endorses these contenders.

Rice on the record

After her work as Secretary of State, Rice returned to her academic career in 2009. She is a Professor of Political Science and a Professor of Political Economy in Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.

During a June 26 appearance on CBS This Morning, Rice said:

“I didn’t run for student council president. I don’t see myself in any way in elected office. I love policy. I’m not particularly fond of politics.”

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