Just Say No to Condi Rice for VP

I realize that Condi Rice has some great qualities and in many ways she would add to the Romney campaign, at least politically.  She is absolutely brilliant, getting her Masters at the age of 21, a year that most kids are just happy to have an ID.  She is also a bright, confident speaker who you would be confident won't blow you up on the campaign trail.  And then of course, it's possible that the incremental African American or female vote she would attract (and she has a much better chance of attracting it than a Sarah Palin who is much more conservative on many issues than most women) would have a great impact on Romney's chances to overthrow Papa Doc Barack. 

The problem with Condi is that, in terms of governance, you can have no confidence that she would actually govern from the right.  Remember we are electing a Vice President of the United States who would become the President should anything happen to Romney or if she chose to run after his terms are up.  It isn't all just about biography and politics, it has to be about what kinds of policies would they enact while in power.  On economics, Condi is a clean slate.  She probably would go along with most Republican initiatives but solely because that would be expected of her.  And on foreign policy, she is definitely of the Brent Scowcroft, Jim Baker, Dick Lugar mold.  According to Dick Cheney, she practically outright lied in order to ram a deal with North Korea through, and unfortunately the North Koreans weren't the ones she was lying to.  People from the State Department who have a history of trying to "make a deal at any cost" are not people I want in the Oval Office.  Besides being wishy washy on North Korea, she also never struck me as particularly supportive of Israel.  And finally, do you really want someone who was with Bush for 8 years to be the #2 person on the ticket?  Talk about giving the Obama people an easy target.  I don't think there are many Americans, liberals, moderates or conservatives who look back at the Bush years with any joy.

Anyway, let's hope this trail balloon pops as it should and Romney picks someone who would both help him at the ballot box AND will help govern this country as it should.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Tim Pawlenty and Bobby Jindal.