America Hearts Condi Rice

A Pew Research Center poll out today attests once again to an interesting phenomenon. While everyone and everything around her is sinking into the mire, the Secretary of State continues to hold a place of high regard with the American people, scoring 56% approval in the poll.

Consider this:

Her boss is at 28%; Dick Cheney's ratings are even lower. Her Middle East peace initiative is on life support; the North Koreans are ignoring their part of the de-nuclearization deal; the US-India nuclear cooperation agreement is dying a slow death; the effort to get Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions is going nowhere. Then of course, there's the fact that she was President Bush's national security adviser when the Iraq War was being planned and was one of the war's most visible advocates on television.

And yet, there is something about Condi Rice that Americans like and trust. So, even if her name always shows up near the bottom of all the pundits' lists--is it really such a long shot that she might be John McCain's running mate?

I'm just saying.