White House likes idea of Rice for President

WASHINGTON - The White House likes the idea of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice running for president, even if Rice herself keeps saying no.

At a time when Republicans like Arizona Sen. John McCain are openly pondering a run for president in 2008, Rice's name keeps popping up at the White House.

Yesterday, when White House spokesman Scott McClellan was asked when the United States would have its first woman president, he noted Rice had just returned from the inauguration of Liberia's first woman president.

"But I'll avoid going there because I think she's made her views clear. But I have my personal thoughts about what a great job she would do," McClellan said.

First lady Laura Bush told CNN International last week the United States would probably have a woman president in one of the next few presidential elections and that she would love to see Rice run. She noted, as well, "She says she definitely is not running."

"Sure I'd love to see her run. She's terrific," the first lady said.

Rice has repeatedly ruled out running for president, saying she wants to return to California's Stanford University, where she was provost.

"I don't have any desire to run for president. I don't intend to. I won't do it," Rice told ABC's This Week last March.

But Rice's popularity is attractive to Republicans looking for a candidate who might be able to keep the White House in the party's hands in 2008 - and keep it away from New York Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

At a time when Bush's own job approval ratings are sagging, Rice's job as secretary of state gets about a 60 per cent approval rating.

Various "draft Condi" websites have surfaced, with some floating the idea that Vice President Dick Cheney step down in order for Rice to become vice president to bolster her run.

Republican strategists see Rice as having rock star status in the party but point out she has never run for any political office.

One strategist, Scott Reed, said Rice's path to the White House could be as vice president to McCain, for instance.

"She gets McCain's selection to be vice president and after four years of straight talk, McCain decides not to run again and she's the frontrunner. She earns it the proper way by winning some early primaries and caucuses and being supported by the Republican Party," he said.

- REUTERS