I came across a blog that makes a pretty interesting political argument for why Republicans ought to think long and hard about having a woman on the Republican Presidential ticket in 2008:
A Clinton-Richardson ticket will be very formidable. It will probably be well ahead in the polls as the parties head toward their summer conventions in Denver (Democrats) and Minneapolis (Republicans).
As people who visit this site know, I — along with a growing number of other activists — believe the Republican Party will follow tradition at its peril. We are not going to beat an exciting, dynamic ticket like Clinton-Richardson with two aging white gentlemen. In fact, we already have the “aging, white gentlemen” vote.
We also need votes — a lot of them — from other groups including Hispanics and female professionals (teachers, doctors, lawyers, businesswomen), as well as younger people.
To do that, we need to tear up the old Republican “playbook.” We may have to throw a few of what the football people call “Hail Marys.” That means we have to take chances, something the underdog must do to achieve any hope of victory.
Personally, I don’t think Bill Richardson is going to make the ticket. He is having one Dan Quayle moment after another every time he opens his mouth. Even Quayle didn’t have those moments BEFORE being selected for ticket. Between Richardson’s “touchy-feely” leanings, and his propensity to open mouth and insert foot, he is better suited to a position not quite so prominent in the national media.