As Think Condi has moved from a presidential advocacy group to a vice presidential one, a lot of folks from around the country have began to enlist their support. While some were hesitant about the presidential draft movement, those who fell off to other campaigns early on are returning to help advocate for Rice’s selection at the upcoming convention.

48% of republicans thought Rice was the ideal choice for the presidency in December. I would have liked to see a larger number, but there was competition with 10 announced presidential candidates who were polling just a little (I mean a lot) behind at the time of that poll. As I’m sure you know, this is evidentiary of the overwhelming support that she can bring to the ticket. Support that will help to solidify the chances of keeping the GOP in the White House.

Within an hour of reports that Rice was actively seeking the VP slot, we had so many visitors to our website that our server actually crashed. Once back up, we found several people had donated to our efforts, and even more signed up for our emails. How many other VP wannabe’s have gotten that much attention? Very few I am sure.

Rich Holt

The Federation of Iowa Republican Women’s state convention provided an

excellent venue to make the case of Secretary of State Condi Rice as a 2008

candidate who is strong on national security, has the foreign policy skills, and her

stand for the second amendment.

Out of the 100 women from across Iowa, many of them remarked how they admire

the Secretary and that she is a huge asset for our nation. Her efforts toward

bringing Arab League members to the diplomatic table with Israel and the

Palestinian leader was seen as a successful move toward bringing real peace and

long-lasting stability in the region. Some remarks from Iowa women included that

Condi Rice is tough, she has the support of the President which helps her to

be taken seriously on the world stage, and that they would love to see her on

the 2008 ticket.

Speaking to the group, I asked them to consider standing up for Condi Rice on

caucus night in January 2008. Their actions can have a direct impact in Iowa

since there is no ballot or petition to hand over to qualify as president.

The people of Iowa can decide for themselves who will be their choice for

president and some of the convention members are considering Condi Rice as their

preferred candidate.

What a great idea!!!! I have been on the Condi for President bandwagon for years. Our efforts to draft her failed, but we did make a big splash.

At the Mackinac Island Conference we began Plan B: Promoting her as a VP. This strategy cut down on our costs significantly, and was more appealing to those who already had a favorite for Pres.

Mr. Rusher explained the demographic aspect of the idea: appealing to black voters and female voters. These two blocks are DNC strongholds. This is a good idea strategically, BUT we need to focus on what she has done under the Bush presidencies (both 41 and 43).

*As an expert on Russian affairs, she was able to stand up to Yeltsin and build relations with Putin.

* As the face of the US to the outside world, she was the one person who countries who hated Bush would deal with.

* She was able to convince North Korea to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons and come to a bargaining table. (This is a country that considered nukes a “birth right”.)

* She is a vehement defender of the War on Terror. This is very important. Despite the moonbattery and protests about the war, she was able to articulate time and time again why we are there. Anyone who can handle both Yeltsin and Barbara Boxer is one tough cookie. She would always relay the good news in Iraq development (including the new hospital built in Baghdad.) The new infrastructure developed in the peaceful Iraqi provinces have Dr. Rice’s stamp of approval.( For a full view of the progress in iraq, see http://www.cpa-iraq.org.) Progress has been slow, but steady. Some in the Military are predicting more troops coming home as soon as this year.

Many naysayers, in the GOP, say we should avoid any connection to Bush 43 at all costs. I say Bush did what was necessary, and the work is not done yet. We need to have some sort of carryover into the new administration to ensure a smooth transition both at home and abroad.

Anyone who says Condi supporters are racist and sexist are dead wrong. We are realists. We support Dr. Rice not because of her immutable characteristics, but because of her strength and leaadership.

Come and join us.

WF

Robert Novak was interviewed by Geraldo on FOX News recently. He asked him about possible running mates for McCain. His suggestion: CONDOLEEZZA RICE!! (Hat tip- Think Progress)

I would never in a million years even dream of voting McCain, but I’d definitely do it if Condi were his running mate. One of the first “Draft Condi” TV commercials ran during in NH during the premiere episode of “Commander In Chief”. In the episode, Vice President Geena Davis becomes President after the President dies.

“Think Condi” will be at CPAC next weekend.

Check out her record. Read one of her biographies. Take a serious look at this contender. The election may depend on it.

-WF

On the following 20 criteria, rate possible vice presidential candidates from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). Add those 20 numbers and – presto! – you’ll have your top-scoring finalists.

If a candidate rated a 5 on each of the 20 criteria, the total score would be 100. But no one is perfect.

For each criterion, you’ll see a sample candidate who deserves a high-5 score. At the end, you’ll see my ranking of 20 candidates who have been speculated about as realistic prospects.

Criteria included health, age, “conservatively conservative”, scandal free, could help win swing states, etc. In his final calculus the top 3 possibilities are:

1. Tim Pawlenty – 85
2. Charlie Crist – 81
3. Condoleezza Rice – 80

Condi is on McCain’s radar. Let’s hope he reads “The Boston Globe”. The score card Todd Domke put together is very thorough. You should take a look at the article and evaluate the possibilities for yourself!

-Wes Fowler

“WITH MCCAIN ATOP TICKET, TALK SHIFTS TO SPOT NO. 2,” the Times headlined the day after Spot No. 1 was definitively filled. According to the accompanying story, McCain has no Vice-Presidential short list and no process for making one, “merely a process to find a process.”

This seems odd, but I guess he figures he has time to contemplate.

The good part is :

“If McCain really wants to have it all—to refurbish his maverick image without having to flip-flop on the panderings that have tarnished it; to galvanize the attention of the press, the nation, and the world; to make a bold play for the center without seriously alienating “the base”—then he can avail himself of a highly interesting option: Condoleezza Rice.”

Why?

“To deal first with the obvious: Rice may be “only” the second woman and the second African-American to be Secretary of State, but she is indisputably the highest-ranking black female official ever to have served in any branch of the United States government. Her nomination to a constitutional executive office would cost McCain the votes of his party’s hardened racists and incorrigible misogynists [translation- the GOP is the party of racism and misogyny] . They are surely fewer in number, though, than the people who would like to participate in breaking the glass ceiling of race or gender but, given the choice, would rather do so in a more timid way, and/or without abandoning their party. And with Rice on the ticket the Republicans could attack Clinton or Obama with far less restraint.”

But what about the Iraq War????   Won’t that harm the ticket????

“By choosing Rice, McCain would shackle himself anew to Bush’s Iraq war. But it’s hard to see how those chains could get much tighter than he has already made them. Rice would fit nicely into McCain’s view of the war as worth fighting but, until Donald Rumsfeld’s exit from the Pentagon, fought clumsily. And it would be fairly easy to establish a story line that would cast Rice as having been less Bush’s enabler than a loyal subordinate who nevertheless pushed gently from within for a more reasonable, more diplomatic approach.”

But isn’t Rice an idiot?? The worst Secretary of State in US history?????

“It’s true that her record in office has been one of failure [says the liberal media], from downgrading terrorism as a priority before 9/11 [translation- 9/11 is her fault] to ignoring the Israel-Palestine problem until (almost certainly) too late. But this does not seem to have done much damage to her popularity. In a Washington Post-ABC News poll taken when opposition to the Iraq war was approaching its height, she enjoyed a “favorable-unfavorable” rating of nearly two to one. The conservative rank and file likes her. Though she once described herself as “mildly pro-choice,” she is agile enough to complete the journey to mildly pro-life. And she is a preacher’s daughter.”

But “The New Yorker” concludes she’d be a good choice for McCain:

“Choosing Rice would be a trick. Her failures would be buried in an avalanche of positive publicity for a personal story as yet only vaguely known to the broad public. (One of the little girls who died in the 1963 Birmingham church bombing was her playmate? We didn’t know that!) But the trick would not be an entirely cynical one. Her ascension, though nowhere near as momentous a breakthrough as the election of Obama or Clinton, would be a breakthrough all the same. In this connection, a kind word for George W. Bush may be in order. By appointing first Colin Powell and then Rice to the most senior job in the Cabinet, a job of global scope, Bush changed the way millions of white Americans think about black public officials. This may turn out to the most positive legacy of his benighted Presidency. “

Wes Fowler

John McCain 2008
P.O. Box 16118
Arlington, VA 22215

www.johnmccain.com

If you haven’t visited the website of the next President of the United States, I highly encourage you to do so. There are tons of volunteer opportunities. You can donate online and even have your own “johnmccain.com” web page.

We do not have any standard “Think Condi” postcards or a standard message for people to use. We think it’s more important that each card come from individuals and not look identical. In the message space, just tell Sen. McCain why you’d like Condi to run with him: Her pro-life views, Her War on Terror expertise, Her pure Second Amendment views, Her popularity and electability , Her life story . You could also send a personal handwritten letter along with a donation. Be sure to include your name and address.

Now is the time to mobilize. Writing a postcard only takes a few minutes. Get yours in the mail today!

-Wes Fowler