THE CONDI BOOMLET – AT 8:23 A.M. ET:  Is it real, or is it Condi's 15 minutes of renewed fame?  I don't know, and either do the reporters writing about it, all over the media, this morning.

The story broke on Drudge last night – we noted it on "Short Takes" – that Mitt Romney has shortened his list of VP prospects, and that Condi Rice was at or near the top.  Some, like Peggy Noonan, applauded the news.  Others, while warm, are warm in a luke sort of way.  Still others are chilly.

I have not yet personally chosen a temperature, but I urge caution.  Rice may bring certain things to the ticket, but she also has clear liabilities.  While she's associated with George W. Bush, my sense is that her heart belongs to daddy.  It was the first Bush administration in which she became known, and she was mentored by Brent Scowcroft, a man who had no problem groveling to the Chinese only months after the Tiananmen Square massacre.  These were "realists."  Her service in the administration of Bush 43 did not get rave reviews from conservatives.  Indeed, when she was secretary of state in Bush's second administration, she seemed determined to stop all the good stuff from the first term.

So what does she bring?  Well, she's a surprise choice.  She's an African-American woman, awkward for some Democrats to attack, and she's articulate.  She apparently gave a superb speech at a recent Romney retreat. 

She's never run for office, nor has she dealt with domestic issues.  And there is the touchy issue of who she voted for in 2008, Obama or McCain.  I'm not sure she ever quite endorsed McCain. 

On balance, I can't get enthusiastic just yet.  I'd want to know who else is being seriously considered.  If we had to accept Rice, we could, I guess.  We're certainly not going to abandon Romney and help elect Obama, as Dems abandoned Humphrey in 1968 and helped elect Nixon.  But can't we do better?

July 13,  2012