Romney’s neocon dream team: Condoleezza Rice for VP?
Presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney hasn’t settled on a running mate yet, but a new name has made it to the list of rumored frontrunners. Americans might soon see former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the ballot this November.
The latest reports out of the Republican Party’s inner circle suggest that Rice, the Secretary of State under former President George W. Bush, is a viable option for Mr. Romney as he comes close to selecting a vice presidential candidate. Drudge Report, the heated political website overseen by conservative pundit Matt Drudge, alleged that Rice was among Romney’s top picks in a posting made this Thursday.“Late Thursday evening, Mitt Romney's presidential campaign launched a new fundraising drive, 'Meet The VP' – just as Romney himself has narrowed the field of candidates to a handful, sources reveal,” the site alleges. “And a surprise name is now near the top of the list: Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice!”Drudge adds that Romney will formally make an announcement in the “coming weeks” but insists that choosing Rice as his VP would make sense to the former governor or Massachusetts. The website also suggests that an email sent to supporters signed by Secretary Rice in recent days suggests that the latest rumor is more than just beltway gossip."The upcoming elections loom as one of the most important in my lifetime," Rice warns in the email. "I'm very often asked to speak about our current foreign policy and the challenges that lie before us. However, we, as a country, are not going to be able to address any of those international challenges unless we first get our domestic house in order."Commenting on the rumor to Fox News Thursday evening, Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin — who attempted a failed run as VP under GOP candidate John McCain in 2008, said Romney selecting Rice as running mate “would be wonderful,” and took a jab at US President Barack Obama, saying, Rice “certainly has much more experience than our sitting president does today.”“I would certainly prefer a presidential and vice presidential candidate who had that respect for all innocent, precious purposeful human life and showed that respect via being a pro-life candidate,” Palin said. “We need to remember, though, that it’s not the vice president that would legislate abortion, and that would be Congress’s role. And we’ll keep that in mind.”Only two days earlier, Rice told CBS News, “I don't see myself in any way in elective office.”If Romney does extend an offer to Secretary Rice, she very well could be among familiar company if the incumbent loses this fall’s election. As RT reported last year, Mitt Romney has collected a dream team of neoconservatives to advise his campaign on national security and foreign policy issues largely consisting of other George W. Bush administration officials. Among those are former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, former CIA Director Michael Hayden and ex-Blackwater exec Cofer Black.
