I've known that she's moderate-to-liberal on some social issues for a while now. But I don't think it was meant to be anyway. She doesn't strike me as the type who would be interested in running for elected office. It has all the downsides of her current appointed office without the advantages of being ruthlessly dedicated to her beliefs and goals.

Dick Morris is often fond of saying that Condi actually could make it out of the primary in 2008 because she's a "social conservative" unlike Rudy. I have no idea how he knows her views on social issues, since she's never said anything about them as far as I know. If she's not an absolutist on abortion that's a big strike against her as far as the social conservatives go. But maybe she's really, really anti gay marriage or anti-gay in general. After all, that's become an even bigger issue. All of the social conservative organizations have reported that they've gotten even more interest and monetary contributions over gay marriage than they used to get over abortion. Stopping two people who love each other from getting a civil marriage is apparently more immportant to some people than stopping a baby from getting murdered (according to their own logic on abortion).

Except she's an unmarried woman over 40. Don't think she's going the 'you should get married and you shouldn't' route.

Just to clarify, I'm sure she's against gay marriage (like Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer and John Kerry and well, nearly everyone) but I can't imagine her focusing on that because of her own marital status.

Karol, I think the average Joe Sixpack Bush voter in Middle America will go for Condi or Rudy. They may not like abortion rights or gay rights but they aren't one-issue zealots either. The question is whether the zealots - of either party - are the gatekeepers for Presidential nominations.

The Republicans need to think this through, because if Hillary keeps making like a hawk (which she was for the past few years - I think her cred is solid on that), and the Pubs nominate some fire-breathing Ralph Reed type, I'm outa here, and so are most of my liberal hawk friends. OTOH if the Dems nominate a foreign policy wuss, I will vote Pub and rejoin NARAL.

I hate this thought, but I think Condi wouldn't make it out of the primary for a lot more reasons than just her position on abortion. She's a black woman and alot of older voting Republicans will hold that against her, no matter what they say. She's never run for any office in her life. I no longer consider myself a one-issue voter as I used to be (pro-life) but I am disappointed that she's pro-choice. She's so brilliant and composed that I might vote for her in a primary, but it would depend who she's up against.

Gotta agree with ya, Karol. Just a pro-life candidate has a snowball's chance in Hell of getting out the Democrat's primaries, so even a "mildly pro-choice" candidate has about the same chance of getting past the Republican primaries, particularly here in the South.

Maybe Rice knows this, and wanted to torpedo any posturing to be done to manuever her into position to run for the next year and a half.

It's almost a foregone conclusion that Clinton will run and win the nomination. Republicans need to be planning for it and cultivate candidates to run against her now , not a year from now.

Yehudit,

John McCain got a zero rating from NARAL when he ran in 2000. Do you consider him a fire breathing Ralph Reed type? There are plenty of conservative Republicans who are staunchly pro-life and tough on Foreign Policy that can also be charming and engaging and possess all the characteristics of a candidate you would like. I've met Joe Six Pack voter. He votes on abortion, just like his wife, his parents, and everyone he works with down at the garage. It's the issue. I hope my site is still around in '08 so I can be proven wrong or right. I can't convey any better how much abortion politics matter in the primary.

Ugh. Go McCain! (I guess.)

He's our Lieberman.

I've met Joe Sixpack Bush voter as well, Karol, so we both know the truth about him...that's he's a bloody idiot who will vote for whoever has the shinest, prettiest campaign ads.

"He's our Lieberman."

Ooh, I like that parallel.

Yep, that seems about the message the Kerry campaign tried to use to get votes. Keep trying, I hear people love being called stupid.

Can how a candidate talks about the issue be more important than his position? Can Giuliani overcome being pro-choice by speaking tolerantly and respectfully of pro-lifers (we know Pataki can't) and using code to promise anti-Roe judges?

Well, who's going to stop him? Besides McCain, I mean?