Redstate

Posted at 11:08am on May 1, 2008 The McCain Veepstakes Rules

Please Consult This List Before Touting Your Favorite Choice

By Dan McLaughlin

The hottest topic in Republican circles, ever since John McCain iced the nomination, is who he should pick as his running mate. There are many interesting names floated, and McCain will have good reason to make a show of talking to a bunch of candidates for the job, as a way of courting different groups and party leaders and feeling out people who might end up with other jobs in his Administration.

But realistically, there are a number of constraints on what kind of candidate McCain can or should pick. The Vice Presidency isn't like other appointments, since he or she is independently elected and can't be fired. And McCain's choice will be of particular significance for a few reasons. First, because of his age, voters will want more assurance than usual that his running mate is ready to step into the job at a moment's notice. Second, also because of McCain's age, he's seen as less likely to serve two terms; his running mate, win or lose in 2008, will have a leg up to be the heir apparent in 2012. And third, many conservatives are unhappy with McCain as the party leader, and want to see that the moderates have not taken permanent control of the party.

Let's start with the Don'ts, which will be especially important in this process. I'm not saying that McCain will necessarily follow these rules, but he should and I suspect he will. And I'm not saying that it's impossible that he will take someone who breaks them, but it will be a very heavy burden to overcome, and probably fatal for anyone who violates more than one of them. (This list is not necessarily presented in any particular order of importance).

More below the fold...

Posted in 2008 | Condoleezza Rice | John McCain | Mark Sanford | Mitt Romney | Tim Pawlenty | Veepstakes — Comments (297)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:52am on Apr. 8, 2008 Morning tidbits from my desk: Pinocchiobama; Condi for Veep; McCain and the "C" word don't hunt; Hannity & Colmes

By Erick

1. RedState and Human Events have teamed up for a weekly column called "RedState Under the Radar." A lot of our friends don't read blogs, so they miss out on a lot of news the MSM won't cover. Each week I'll be highlighting RedState stories and other news from around the blogosphere that the MSM has failed to cover or cover accurately. The Pinocchiobama graphic goes with the debut column. At the end of each column, I'm going to cover topics from around the fifty states that state and local bloggers are focusing on.

2. Let me express my thoughts on Condi for Veep here. Condi is a truly spectacular woman. She is accomplished in so many areas. She is truly brilliant. And by all accounts, she is a very nice person. Additionally, she knows more about football than I ever will. To the best of my knowledge, Condi is also in favor of affirmative action, is pro-choice, and has failed to win the battle against the State Department bureaucracy. In fact, by all outward appearances, she has succumbed to the State Department -- an organization Human Events listed this year as one of the most dangerous liberal groups in the nation. I could not support Condi for Veep any more than I could support Charlie Crist for Veep. As far as I am concerned, we must make our motto on McCain's selection "No squishes allowed."

Read on . . .

Posted in Condoleezza Rice | John McCain | Lefty Fabulists | Miscellanea — Comments (2)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:14am on Apr. 8, 2008 Condi's Campaign

By California Yankee

I respectfully disagree with David Hinz. Condi, should not be McCain's running mate.

Condi might have more relevant "experience" than Hillary or Obama, but she has never campaigned for elective office. More important, she failed to distinguish herself as the person in charge at the State Department.

In February Manual Miranda wrote a blistering departure assessment of the State Department's meager efforts in Iraq:

A State Department official this week issued a blistering critique of Foreign Service bureaucrats at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad for undermining civilian stability efforts in Iraq.

"After a year at the embassy, it is my general assessment that the State Department and the Foreign Service [are] not competent to do the job that they have undertaken in Iraq," said Manuel Miranda, a conservative former Senate staff member who is part of the office of legislative statecraft in Baghdad.

[. . .]

Mr. Miranda's most stinging accusation is that the State Department is an "albatross around the neck of the coalition command."

The department "failed to assist coalition initiatives by delaying or failing to supply the civilian expertise needed in a thoughtful and timely manner and also delaying decisions on funding and staffing vital to GOI (and our) success," he said, using the acronym for the government of Iraq.

Also, the embassy has blocked the flow of information to the White House and other policy-makers, the State Department in Washington, and the commanding general in Baghdad, fearing leaks to the press.

[. . .]

Mr. Miranda said the State Department's Iraq operations, judged by private sector standards, is "willfully negligent, if not criminal."

Read on.

Posted in 2008 | Condoleezza Rice | Iraq | John McCain | vice president — Comments (4)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:45pm on Jan. 24, 2008 An Honest Man at State

The Truth Gets in the Way of a Legacy Project

By Mark I

Jay Lefkowitz is President Bush’s Special Envoy to North Korea on human rights issues. As such, he has had a chance to study the way the North Korean regime operates, often from the inside, and has formulated some conclusions about the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs. He is not optimistic.

In a speech at the American Enterprise Institute last week, Mr. Lefkowitz called for a new strategy in dealing with North Korea’s intransigence on both the human rights and nuclear front. But before that can happen, there must be an understanding that the current negotiating framework is failing. Mr. Lefkowitz delivered a sober, rational, and convincing speech that examined the history of negotiations with Pyongyang and looked at the underlying reasons why North Korea, and indeed all dictatorial regimes, behaves the way it does.

His reward for his insights and his calm and reasoned look at U.S. policy toward North Korea was a public rebuke from none other than Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Secretary Rice, it seems, is increasingly becoming a creature of the establishment at the State Department, unwilling to sacrifice talking for the sake of concrete actions.

Read on…

Posted in Condoleezza Rice | Foreign Affairs | North Korea | six-party talks — Comments (10)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 4:06pm on Oct. 24, 2007 Rice Accosted at Capitol

The Inmates are Running the Asylum on the Hill

By Mark I

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was approached as she entered a hearing room on Capitol Hill today by an anti-war Code Pink protester. The protester was allowed to get way to close to Rice for way too long. The female protester shouted "war criminal" at Secretary Rice as she was finally led away by the Secretary's security detail. Several Code Pink protesters, plainly identifiable in the gallery, were also removed by Capitol Hill Police after the Rice incident.

Democrats had better get a handle on these hearings protesters and reign in their Code Pink sympathizers before one of these incidents really gets out of hand.

Posted in anti-war protesters | Breaking News | Code Pink | Condoleezza Rice | Liberals — Comments (84)/ Email this page » / Read More »