Mittens' Condi for VP Silly News Cycle Distraction from the Bain SEC Filings
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From [HERE] and [HERE] As trial balloons go, this was a fairly transparent one. When Matt Drudge released his report yesterday that Condoleezza Rice was the new top contender for the GOP vice presidential nomination, pretty much everyone saw it for what it was -- an attempt to distract the press from the mounting controversy over Mitt Romney's departure date from Bain Capital. It was so transparent and so improbable that even conservatives like Erick Erickson, while appreciative of the intent, were calling it "silly." But it worked: major newspapers and the network morning shows jumped on the Drudge rumor.
Throughout all of this, no one made mention of the fact that so many of Drudge's previous attempts at original reporting have proven to be almost comically inaccurate -- his VP reporting, in particular. [MORE] The Romney-friendly Drudge Report released it — unsourced just as the Romney campaign was getting pounded by the latest reporting on his Bain tenure [MORE]
As uberpollster Nate Silver Tweeted: “drudge (v.): To leak news to displace an unfavorable headline; to muddy up the news cycle.” And again this Tweet from Silver: “Sources: Romney narrowing VP choices. And a surprise name is near the top of the list: Former Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow!” #drudgesiren.” As quickly as Ms. Rice’s name emerged as a possibility late Thursday night, so did the reasons Mr. Romney would never, ever pick her:
1. ABORTION RIGHTS. Ms. Rice has said that she supports the right of women to have abortions, although she also describes herself as “mildly pro-choice,” saying she supports some restrictions on abortion funding and late-term procedures.
While that puts her at odds with Mr. Romney, it’s not just that the two of them would disagree on an issue of conscience. Mr. Romney once favored abortion rights before changing his mind, and the vice-presidential pick is a litmus test for social conservatives who don’t really trust the conversion.
Four years ago, when Senator John McCain of Arizona floated the idea of Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, an independent who supports abortion rights, as his nominee, the conservative wing of the party revolted. It would most likely be the same with Ms. Rice.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a conservative women’s group, issued a statement Friday saying flatly that Ms. Rice’s “position on the sanctity of human life makes her an unqualified candidate for Governor Romney to choose as a running mate.”
2. IRAQ. The Iraq war is largely over, and so are the political battles that dominated nearly a decade of American political life. Putting Ms. Rice on the Republican ticket holds the potential of reviving the issue — something that neither side wants.
As national security adviser during Mr. Bush’s first term, Ms. Rice was part of the team that helped plunge the nation into a war that became an albatross for Republicans during the 2006 and 2008 campaigns. Democrats would be happy to remind swing voters of their anger over the war.
By Mr. Bush’s second term, Ms. Rice was secretary of state and steered foreign policy away from the hawkish approach advocated by Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. That earned her scorn from national security conservatives who would probably view her nomination with alarm.
Another group who might not be happy to see her on the ticket? Some of Mr. Romney’s own foreign policy advisers, who often clashed with her during the Bush years. One, John Bolton, the former ambassador to the United Nations, has been mentioned by Mr. Romney as a potential secretary of state.
3. BUSH. Beyond the war, though, putting Ms. Rice on the ticket would be opening the door to a set of attacks that President Obama and Democrats are already eager to make: that a Romney administration would be nothing more than a third Bush term.
Selecting Ms. Rice as vice president would give Mr. Obama’s strategists the opportunity to argue that there is little difference between the kinds of advisers that Mr. Romney would pick and the kinds of people that surrounded President Bush.
That charge would not necessarily be limited to foreign policy. As vice president, the Democrats could argue, Ms. Rice might have influence over domestic policies as well. One could imagine Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. asking Ms. Rice during a debate in the fall where she disagreed with Mr. Bush on matters of taxes or spending.
4. CAMPAIGNING. While she is dynamic, Ms. Rice has almost no experience on the stump, a reality that could make her a less effective tool against Mr. Biden, who has spent a lifetime on the campaign trail.
There is some evidence that she might grow into the role quickly. Her experience in traveling around the world as secretary of state would not be that different from being Mr. Romney’s emissary campaigning around the country.
But she is professorial by nature, typically speaking in measured tones and with a discipline that comes from both academia and diplomacy. That runs counter to the kind of attack-dog mentality that vice-presidential nominees are sometimes expected to bring to a ticket.
5. POLITICS. The other possible vice-presidential nominees under consideration by Mr. Romney would carry a particular political constituency. Senator Rob Portman of Ohio represents one of the most important swing states. So does Senator Marco Rubio of Florida.
Ms. Rice comes from California — not a swing state by any measure. And while she is no neophyte to Washington, she does not have a history of winning elections that demonstrates her ability to woo certain constituent groups.
