Never say never

My endorsement for president in 2008 goes to:

"You."

OK, so I lied. I’m not outright endorsing anyone. Yet. But allow me to submit this longshot for your consideration. Read the whole smart interview.

In an on-line story in today’s New York Daily News, Condoleezza Rice says the country is ready for a black president.

As Hillary marshals her considerable forces for a campaign that could very well culminate in a Clinton-Obama ticket for the Dems, and as Rudy, McCain, and Romney prepare to lock tusks for the GOP nomination, I suggest we begin applying to each of these politicians the same questions Dr. Rice says Americans will use to judge the first successful black candidate who would be president:

"Do I agree with this person? Do I share this person's basic values? Am I comfortable that this person is going to make decisions when I'm not in the room that are very consequential? ... Does this person add up to someone who I want to see in my home every night on TV and who's going to fit in the Oval Office?"

I would also, for starters, add these:

How will onetime-hawk-turned-leftist-apologist Hillary work to protect our national security? Platitudes aside, what does Barack Obama believe in? Would voters view America’s Mayor—a Republican with the social values of a liberal New Yorker—as a viable alternative to Hillary? Can John McCain garner the support of conservatives who are largely suspect of his maverick ways? Would McCain, the widely respected military hero, perhaps make a better secretary of defense? At 72, would he be fit for 4 years in the White House during a time of war? Is Mitt Romney too conservative? Would a Romney presidency only exacerbate divisiveness on Capitol Hill?

The Daily News story says that Condi has “adamantly ruled out a candidacy [for president] after she leaves government.” But is “adamantly” perhaps too strong a word?

On the heels of her remark that the country is ready for a black president, Rice provided this response to a question about a theoretical Colin Powell candidacy:

"I'm not going to give Colin any advice, and he's not going to give me any advice on this one."

I’d agree the odds are still against it. But never say never when it comes to a “Condi for President” campaign. Stranger things have happened in American politics.