Abnormal Interests

But, here is the bad news, at least for Senator Clinton,

The Albany-area pollsters found that 37 percent of voters felt Clinton should not run for president.

On the Republican side, 42 percent of voters said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice should run for the White House while 41 percent said she should not and 33 percent said Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina should run for president while 48 percent said she should not do that.

While I have not seen the raw poll data, this makes me think that the percentages of Democrats and the percentages of Republicans that believe the country is ready for a woman president are also about equal. I believe that is really bad news for Hilary in a head to head race with Condi. Here's why.

We should not look at these results as 53 percent favoring Hillary and 42% favoring Condi and the remainder undecided. As reported, the poll does not say that at all. The poll only says that a woman might be our next president. Those polled thought that a Condi vs. Hillary race might produce an acceptable president and that the country was ready for that race.

There are two things on the Republican landscape that are now in play. First, Dick Cheney has said he will not run for president. He also has a heart condition. Second, Condi is a rising star: now Secretary of State. Needless to say, that's a high visibility job. Now add a rumor that comes out of the right side of the political landscape. In a February 17th online article, Jack Wheeler, who is always certain but seldom correct, suggests that Cheney will step down for health reasons and an anonymous Congressional Committee Chairman supposedly told Wheeler,

Should this happen, President Bush would need to appoint his replacement, just as Richard Nixon chose Gerald Ford to replace Spiro Agnew. It is quite clear to us whom the president would choose should he need to: Condoleezza Rice.

Jack Wheeler may just be correct about this one. Such a move would put Condi in an ideal position to follow Bush and keep the neocon dynasty alive.

Progressives would make a big mistake to think that the GOP is too racist or too misogamist to nominate and elect Condi. Neither the current GOP nor their core constituencies are racist or deeply misogamist. What ever feelings they have in these directions are more than overcome for by their other so called "values": anti-gay, pro American Empire, pro-business, anti-abortion, anti-conservation, pro conservative Judeo-Christian culture, anti tax, anti government, starve the beast, etc. Most of the die hard racists and misogamists are the red necks that still often vote Democratic. No, the neocons are not racists or misogamist; they are the new elitists. And many voters want to be part of that new elite and if they don't fear the "terrorists" or whatever fear is on the agenda at the time will convince them.

It should also be noted that, "67 percent said a female president would be better than a male chief executive in handling domestic issues." This large number partially levels the playing field by mitigating the Democrats claims about domestic issues should a women run on the Republican ticket.

I am not predicting that the 2008 race will be between Senator Hillary and Vice President Condi. But if it is, Condi wins.