Don't Write Condi Off In 08
This past Sunday on Meet the Press, Condi told Tim Russert that she would not
run in 2008. The following is a transcript of the reasons for this:
MR. RUSSERT: Before you go, I'd like to read something from The
Washington Times. Headline: "Americans for Rice, a group that hopes to draft
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as a presidential candidate in 2008, has
paid for a 60-second ad to run in Des Moines, Iowa, on Tuesday night during
ABC's `Commander in Chief,' a new show about a female president of the
United States. Iowa, of course, traditionally holds the first presidential
contest, a caucus system. The same ad appeared in New Hampshire...during the
Sept. 27 broadcast of `Commander in Chief.' New Hampshire, of course,
traditionally holds the first presidential primary."Would you accept a position on the Republican ticket in 2008?
SEC'Y RICE: Tim, I'm flattered that people think of me in that
way, but I think it was on your show that I said I don't know how many ways
to say no. I really am--I'm not somebody who wants to run for office,
haven't ever run for anything. I don't think I ever ran for high school
president. And I think I'm doing what I need to do, which is to try and
promote American foreign policy and American interests, the president's
democracy agenda at an extraordinary time. And to the degree that I can do
that across the world, that's what I'd better keep doing.
Full transcript here.
