VP Rice?

Nicholas von Hoffman, of the Nation, had this to say about my boss:

Democrats who think it's going to be a cakewalk into the White House next November had best remember one name: Condoleezza Rice. John McCain is a formidable candidate in his own right, but if he has the political imagination to do it, he can cause the party of Jefferson and Jackson indescribable angst with Rice as his vice-presidential pick.

Besides being the greatest two-for in GOP history, Rice brings other huge pluses to the old admiral. Indeed, she may be enough to elect the venerable hero/naval aviator.

McCain's troubles with the religious wing of his party could well evaporate with the churchgoing Rice at his side. She solidifies that part of his base overnight.

With Rice on the ticket, the GOP would have somebody to get enthusiastic about. The secretary of state is immensely popular with Republicans. For a party that up to now has been clueless about how to run against either a woman or a person of color, Condoleezza Rice is pure political gold.

Woe to any Democrat who thinks taking her on in a debate is a sure thing. The woman is tough, fast on her feet and able to give better than she gets. Anyone who has seen her in action testifying in front of a hostile House or Senate committee knows that she will be able to wipe up the floor with a plodding, ordinary pol of a Democratic vice-presidential candidate. Take Rice lightly at your peril.

Democrats Abroad

As far as I can tell, there is no such thing as Republicans Abroad. However, 22 of the DNC delegates are part of a group called Democrats Abroad — essentially U.S. citizens who are regsitered Democrats and live in foreign countries. Fourteen delegates are selected by the actual vote and 8 are assigned by the DNC. This odd assigning of delegates has become more controversial now that everyone is paying attention to delegates thanks to the tight race between Clinton and Obama.

I was neither a potential member for Republicans abroad nor Democrats abroad (nor Libertarians abroad or Greens abroad, for that matter) but registered as a mail-in voter. Unfortunately, my ballot got to me on the Wednesday before the election. I mailed the form on Thursday and have no idea whether the appropriate California address received my vote on time.

A number of potential voters showed up to the doors of the Embassy hoping to vote. Surprisingly, many U.S. citizens still (1) don't realize they can't vote at an embassy or consulate, which is not completely shocking, and (2) don't realize they have to register prior to election day, which, considering this has been the case for my entire lifetime for almost every state, territory, etc., is shocking.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Obama won the Democrats Abroad contest.

Picking a president

You might want to know how the presidential candidates could affect the Foreign Service, at least from a management perspective.

Donald F. Kettl, a University of Pennsylvania professor, said none of the candidates have sent clear signals about what he or she would be like as the boss "beyond the broad symbols of [his or her] campaign and the tone of [his or her] rhetoric." Still, the professor has created a Web site, The Next Government which researches federal management positions in the 2008 campaign.

The National Federation of Federal Employees has endorsed Clinton. The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association traditionally does not make a presidential endorsement but gave Clinton, McCain and Obama a score of 100 for their 2005 and 2006 voting record, which means they voted the way the association preferred 100 percent of the time.

If you know of any other federal employment association endorsement or election research tool designed for federal employees, please add a comment.