Hillary Loses to Candidate With Character
By Doug Patton (10/21/05)
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” - Dr. Martin Luther King
Former Clinton advisor and opportunistic political pundit Dick Morris is now enriching himself peddling a new book postulating the silly notion that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is the only person in America who can defeat Hillary Clinton for the presidency in 2008. While this theory probably will sell a lot of books, it is, in my opinion, patently false.
The idea that among our nation’s governors (past or present), senators (current or former) and business titans (working or retired), there exists not another soul who can stop the mighty Hillary is absurd. Additionally, Condoleezza Rice has some of the same liberal baggage on domestic issues (especially abortion) that Morris correctly states will prevent George Pataki, Rudy Giuliani and other so-called “moderate” Republicans from winning the GOP nomination.
Regardless of whether one or both of the major political parties make history by nominating a woman as their standard-bearer, America’s next presidential election will be historic. If Vice President Dick Cheney continues to have no interest in seeking the presidency, 2008 will be the first time since 1952 — when Republicans Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon squared off against Democrats Adlai Stevenson and his running mate, John Sparkman — that there will be no incumbent president or vice president running in either party.
As I have suggested before, Condi Rice could be a useful addition to the 2008 Republican ticket as its vice-presidential nominee. She would add a great deal of foreign policy expertise to the GOP team, with her race, gender and education adding a flavor to the race no other candidate could offer. And under the tutelage of a strong social conservative at the top of the ticket, she could grow into a greater understanding of the importance of the sanctity of life, in much the same way George H.W. Bush grew under the leadership of Ronald Reagan.
But Dick Morris’s argument is predicated upon the false premise that it will take another woman to defeat Hillary Clinton. Furthermore, Morris apparently believes, this woman must be black. What nonsense! Does anyone remember the last time one of this man’s predictions came true? And despite his undisguised disdain for Hillary Clinton, Dick Morris is a political chameleon on another book tour.
This is a man who has sold his services to the highest bidder, Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, for the last thirty years (much like the prostitutes he used to frequent when he worked for Bill Clinton).
The American people can recognize the importance of electing the most qualified person to the presidency without such silliness, be that person male, female, black, white, brown, yellow or green, and Republicans should stop trying to ape Democrats in their embarrassing pursuit of diversity for its own sake. The issues are too important and the stakes too high to attach such trivialities to them.
With America’s so-called mainstream media in decline and disrepute, and with the Democratic Party devoid of ideas that don’t reek of socialism, conservatives have a good chance to defeat Hillary Clinton with a nominee who will stand up for the Republican platform.
In 2008, it will be 56 years since a sitting president or vice president was not on the ballot. The dynamics of such a race can be exciting and historic, and a Republican leader will emerge who can win, not because of his or her race or gender, but because he or she has character and is the best person for the job. That person simply needs to lead and the people will follow.
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