Mitt Romney VP Choice: Sarah Palin Endorses Condoleezza Rice

Impact

Former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin said former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would make a “wonderful” vice president for Mitt Romney.

“I think that Condoleezza Rice would be a wonderful vice president, and she certainly has much more experience than our sitting president does today,” Palin said Thursday.

Rice’s name has jumped to the top of the VP list as conservative commentators, such as Matt Drudge and Rush Limbaugh, have made clear Rice would be the strongest possibile candidate to run along side Romney in November. Other names that have been tossed around as a potential Romney running mate have been Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Ohio Senator Rob Portman and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.  

Palin, who was the first female vice presidential nominee from the Republican Party -- and just the second female on a national ticket in the United States (the first was Democrat Geraldine Ferraro, who ran along Walter Mondale in 1984) -- was asked about the prospects of another female in a national ticket. And not only was she deligthed about the possibility of Rice sharing the ticket with Romney, she also dismissed the different views than her -- a staunch pro-lifer -- and Rice might have in social issues such as abortion.  

“I would certainly prefer a presidential and vice presidential candidate who had that respect for all innocent, precious purposeful human life and showed that respect via being a pro-life candidate,” she said. “We need to remember, though, that it’s not the vice president that would legislate abortion, and that would be Congress’s role. And we’ll keep that in mind.”

In the meantime, Rice has expressed zero interest in elective politics, and it's unlikely she would seriously consider re-entering the national stage during a polarizing political campaign for president.