Condi Rice for VP?

This would certainly shake up the race:

ABCNews’ Mary Bruce Reports: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is actively courting the vice presidential nomination, Republican strategist Dan Senor said.

“Condi Rice has been actively, actually in recent weeks, campaigning for this,” Senor said this morning on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”

According to Senor, Rice has been cozying up to the Republican elite.

“There's this ritual in Washington: The Americans for Tax Reform, which is headed by Grover Norquist, he holds a weekly meeting of conservative leaders -- about 100, 150 people, sort of inside, chattering, class types,” Senor said. “They all typically get briefings from political conservative leaders. Ten days ago, they had an interesting visit -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice -- the first time a secretary of state has visited the Wednesday meeting.”

Senor explained that Rice’s history in public office would make her a prime candidate, especially in light of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain’s emphasis on experience throughout his campaign.

“What the McCain campaign has to consider is whether or not they want to pick a total outsider, a fresh face, someone a lot younger than him, a governor who people aren't that familiar with," Senor said. "The challenge they're realizing is that they'll have to have to spend 30 to 45 days, which they won't have at that point, educating the American public about who this person is.

“The other category is someone who people instantly say, the second they see that announcement, 'I get it, that person could be president tomorrow,'" Senor added. "Condi Rice is an option.”

Could we run her for president instead?

From the standpoint of national security and foreign policy, Condi would certainly be a great choice. Politically, however, she could be a little more difficult. She's undeniably attached to George W. Bush, and attachment that many voters may want to break, and she's never run for elected office. How would she react to the rigors of campaigning (as opposed to the world hopping that she's used to doing as Secretary of State)? She has never shown a desire for elected office and has often talked about returning to California. I can't help but wonder if this is just a trial balloon by the McCain campaign to see how the polls react.

UPDATE: Another thought regarding Condi. Not only is her close relationship to Bush a problem, but I guarantee you if she is named the VP nominee it won't be 10 minutes before some Obama or Clinton surrogate declares that she is responsible for 9-11. She was National Security Advisor during those early years of the Bush term, and you just know they'll claim that she failed in her job and didn't see this attack coming as she should. That will be their effort to dismiss her national security credentials.