This week Thomas L. Friedman argues in an op-ed in the New York Times that George Bush doesn't have an heir apparent and that this is a problem for him. Bush's Dick Cheney problem is caused by the fact that VP Cheney has declared that he's not running from President in 2008, which weakens the purpose of Bush's second term.
"If President Bush had a vice president, or someone who was clearly designated as heir apparent to his administration, [the president] would have a more immediate incentive to widen his political base, to offer policies that would appeal more to the center." Instead, Bush runs an agenda that doesn't worry too much about how his successor will fare.
Since I wouldn't mind if Bush went into a wall and completely committed political suicide, I should be very happy to hear this as it would pave the wave for a democratic election victory in 2008. However, I think that there is indeed an heir apparent, and that person is Condoleezza Rice, even if she's waiting behind the scenes at the moment, something that Friedman fails to address in his op-ed. She's not the VP yet but if Cheney steps down, for health reasons or because he's asked to in order to pave the way for Rice, she'll be the No 1 threat to the Democrats.
Clinton vs. Rice should be a fun race, though as much as I like Hilary, she is completely unelectable (which is of course not the case for Condi) so I hope that the Democrats won't shoot themselves in the foot by electing her for the No. 1 spot. I am not even sure if people will vote with her being in the number two spot, but I think they just might...
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think Hillary is completely unelectable?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anna, and I quite like the idea of an all-female race, it would increase (but of course not guarantee, given this is the US we're talking about) the likelihood of there being a woman President.
ReplyDeleteSomehow I don't think Hillary will be putting forward a cookie recipe this time. Perhaps Bill has one? Or just the cookie.....
Gothamimage - So Hilary is not unelectable as in she definitely has a chance to win the Democratic nomination? But she IS unelectable as far as the real election is concerned?
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