Black Box Report

Depsite numerous prior denials, Steve Clemons at the Washington Note says Condi's recent visit with conservative stalwart Grover Norquists Americans for Tax Reform is tell-tale sign she's preparing for the possibility of John McCain asking her to the dance:

At the semi-secret gatherings which Republican political hopefuls migrate to to get the blessing of not only Norquist but the diverse parts of the nation's conservative money and political machinery, Norquist gives everyone in the room 3 minutes to pitch their cause or issue...
As one major Republican operative told me yesterday:

Someone like Condi Rice doesn't go to Grover Norquist's den to talk about the Annapolis Middle East peace process. She's going to secure her future in Republican politics and to position herself as a 'potential' VP candidate on the McCain ticket.

Some rightwing bloggers, due to her unflinching loyalty to President Bush, are warming up to the idea of Condoleezza Rice as John McCain's #2. Certainly some of them like it from a gamesmanship point of view:

The Democrats would be faced with two choices: to ridicule Dr. Rice as unqualified…or try to trump the groundbreaking selection of an African-American woman for the vice-presidential nomination by closing ranks and nominating Obama for the presidency, with a woman (Sen. Clinton or otherwise) as the running-mate.

But other conservative blogs are less enthused. They don't like "identity politics", at least when they don't serve their purposes. From CPAC's Blogger of the Year, Ace of Spades:

1) Does McCain even actually need this additional advantage anymore?

2) Will Condi actually provide any advantage? She's a) not really very conservative, b) not really a politician and not exactly charismatic in a politican's way, and c) entirely untested in this field, and d) unlikely to actually induce any women to vote R if Hillary is the nominee or blacks to vote R if Obama is the nominee. How many votes does she actually deliver?

3) Can we really afford another liberalish moderate on the ticket?

4) Is she really all that? She's not exactly John Bolton even in her sphere of expertise. I think the idea of Condi > Condi.

5) Is this really who we want for our presumptive nominee in 2016 or even 2012?

From "Does McCain need this additional advantage?" to "What advantage?" in 15 words. I can see why CPAC liked him so much. And maybe I'm just out of touch, but saying that Condi Rice Rice is no John Bolton, you'd think that would be a positive in the general election. but then I'm not CPAC's Blogger of the Year.

Althought the idea of Republicans being faced with having to back a black woman for President in 2016 does make me smile.

And yes, Ace, your initial instinct was right. 2016.

Meanwhile, other rightwing blogs don't think concerns about Rice's qualifications are off-base, not to mention the whole Iraq thingy:

Four years ago? Sure. Today? No.

(You mean it would've been a better idea when she had less experience?)

What does she do for the ticket except drop another thousand pounds of Bush’s baggage on McCain’s back?...What does Condi bring to the table aside from giving Obama an easy answer when pressed on his inexperience about how she wasn’t too inexperienced to be NSA and then Secretary of State when her only training was as provost of Stanford and two years on the NSC?

There's that sudden contradiction again. Apparently the prospect of having a double-minority (and yes, I know, women are not a minority in the American electorate, just among those who actually hold office) is too much for the conservative brain to grasp before short-circuiting in a wisp of smoke and a puff of ozone. So maybe Vice President Rice isn't such a hot idea for them.

And besides, McCain's buddy Joe Lieberman would be SO disappointed