2008: Year of the Woman?
Chuck Raasch, Gannett’s political editor, observes,
2008 could be the year of the first American woman as the presidential nominee of a major political party.
Never before in U.S. politics have two women emerged so strongly, so early, on opposite sides of the political fence. Yes, today’s speculation could be laughable by ’08. Remember the Republican boomlet for Colin Powell?
But it might be different for Hillary Rodham Clinton and Condoleezza Rice. Each woman has attributes that seem fit for her respective party, in this time. The buzz over Clinton, a senator from New York, is so strong among Democrats that even one of her potential competitors sees her as the odds-on favorite to win the party’s nomination in 2008.
Barring some major stumble, the Democratic nomination is rather clearly Clinton’s to lose. I tend to agree with Fred Barnes, though, that making one’s first political campaign a presidential run is highly difficult. The last one to do that successfully was Dwight Eisenhower, and he was coming off having run the most popular war in American history.
Should she want it, though, Rice would make a superb running mate for someone.
Going to your previous post, I think a Cheney-Rice ticket would be very strong for the GOP.