At a dinner party during her tenure as national security advisor, Condoleezza Rice referred to President Bush as 'my husband' before quickly correcting herself. Rice never took vows of matrimony when she came to office as Secretary of State in 2004, but the oath she took when confirming the position bound her to a four-year Bush administration ball and chain.
Similarly, Hillary Clinton's second-term tenure as the first lady bound her to a presidency ridden with scandal, albeit one of true infidelity, not just a love affair with neo-conservative cronies. As the Republicans and Democrats gear up for the 2008 race, both Rice and Clinton have a shot at a presidential nomination, if only they can separate their names from the blunders of their political or legal spouses.
Despite facing a solid 50 percent job approval rating around this time last year, a recent Harris Interactive poll indicates that only 34 percent of Americans approve of President Bush's current performance. For Rice, the same poll tells a different story. With a 53 percent approval rating in November, her numbers indicate the highest approval among all senior administration officials.
As secretary of state, Rice has accomplished several unexpected feats in office. Among them, Rice opened nuclear negotiations and authorized bilateral talks with North Korea, persuaded Bush to endorse negotiations with Iran that mirror those of Britain, France and Germany and composed the stipulations of a United Nations resolution to investigate war crimes in Sudan.
In countering the original goals of President Bush on each of these objectives, Rice demonstrated her ability as a diplomat, not just a neo-conservative tool. Rice dismisses the possibility of candidacy in 2008, but autonomy from the blunders of Bush and independent political feats make her a relatively-solid Republican candidate.
According to the most recent poll by pollster Scott Rasmussen, Rice would garner 24 percent of the vote in the 2008 Republican primary. This rise from 18 percent in the last round ranks Rice behind former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and ahead of Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona.
In the same Rasmussen report, Clinton ranked number one among the Democrats in the 2008 primary. As the frontrunner, Clinton is estimated to receive 43 percent of the primary vote, more than the next three contenders'former Vice President Al Gore, former vice presidential nominee John Edwards and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.'combined.
As a viable Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton represents the first female to lead a presidential category in national polls and garner sufficient fundraising to compete in the presidential race for the long term. Hillary overcame the stigma attached to the Clinton name when New York elected her as their senator, but a push for the presidency may require additional autonomy from Bill's misdeeds.
For both Rice and Clinton, separating their political abilities from their political or legal husbands may prove possible, but sexism presents a still formidable barrier toward a successful bid at the presidency.
Last month, a USA Today Poll showed that 13 percent of Americans would not vote for a qualified woman for president, including 16 percent of women and 10 percent of men. That nearly doubles the percentage of those who in 2003 ruled out voting for a Jew, black or Catholic.
Still, Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics, expressed faith in voters across both political parties, stating, 'there's the potential for a kind of breakthrough year in 2008.' For Clinton and Rice, winning the Oval Office will require overcoming the stigma of their spouses and the sexism of the nation'two battles worth fighting for two worthwhile candidates.
