Condoleezza Rice has officially given a Jeb Bush 2016 presidential run a big thumbs up.
“I think Jeb would be fantastic. I think there are several others who are considering it who would be outstanding,” the former secretary of state said in an interview with OZY when asked about the former Florida governor and the general 2016 field.
Rice insisted she wouldn’t join Bush on a ticket, though. “That’s still running for office, and I think it’s just not in my DNA,” she said.
But while she openly embraced the prospect of her “friend” Jeb running, Rice had more reserved praise when asked about a possible run from Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
“While I don’t agree with Ted Cruz on everything, he’s energetic, he’s working hard, he loves his country,” she said. “And from time to time when I disagree, I’ll tell him.”
And while she has respect for fellow former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rice said she is a “committed” Republican who will “continue to fight for that party and continue to fight for that nominee.” Beyond the 2016 field, the interview also hit on foreign policy issues, including Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent movements and the latest House Republican probe into the September 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya. “I think there are unanswered questions, and they could be easily answered, but I think they need to be answered,” Ricesaid, noting that she didn’t believe there’s any need to probe the origin of Sunday show talking points, which have been the subject of so much scrutiny. “This isn’t a question of blaming anybody. Those situations are extremely difficult, but you do need to say: did we address the security situation on the ground, or not? And this can be handled, I think, and handled in a way that is open and that isn’t political theater,” she continued. “I really do hope that it’s handled in an intelligent, low-key way.”
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