Condi, the "Mildly Pro-Choice" Secretary of State.

Hat tip to Mike Aquilina, who points out this early take in the Washington Timeson the possibility of a 2008 Rice GOP candidacy. She putting as much nuance as possible into her spin:

"Other Republicans have questioned whether evangelical Christians, a crucial component of the Republican base, would turn out to vote for a pro-choice candidate. Miss Rice, a Presbyterian's preacher's daughter who twice in the interview spoke of her 'deep religious faith,' suggested it's a moot point. 'I'm not trying to be elected.' Miss Rice said abortion should be 'as rare a circumstance as possible,' although without excessive government intervention. 'We should not have the federal government in a position where it is forcing its views on one side or the other. 'So, for instance, I've tended to agree with those who do not favor federal funding for abortion, because I believe that those who hold a strong moral view on the other side should not be forced to fund it.' Describing pro-lifers as 'the other side' is one of the ways Miss Rice articulates her position as a 'mildly pro-choice' Republican. She explained that she is 'in effect kind of libertarian on this issue,' adding: 'I have been concerned about a government role. 'I am a strong proponent of parental notification. I am a strong proponent of a ban on late-term abortion. These are all things that I think unite people and I think that that's where we should be. 'We ought to have a culture that says, 'Who wants to have an abortion? Who wants to see a daughter or a friend or a sibling go through something like that?'� ' Miss Rice described abortion as an 'extremely difficult moral issue' which she approaches as 'a deeply religious person.' 'My faith is a part of everything that I do,' she said. 'It's not something that I can set outside of anything that I do, because it's so integral to who I am. 'And prayer is very important to me and a belief that if you ask for it, you will be guided. Now, that doesn't mean that I think that God will tell me what to do on, you know, the Iran nuclear problem. 'That's not how I see it. But I do believe very strongly that if you are a prayerful and faithful person, that that is a help in guiding us, as imperfect beings, to have to deal with extremely difficult and consequential matters.'"

Personally, we'd be happy if the states could freely legislate on abortion, as opposed to the federal government (after, homicide codes are specified at the state level, not the federal level). Still, this sounds like a woman considering options and not wanting to close doors to any constituency, pro or anti abortion. Is she running? We'll go out on a limb and say she's more likely to be running than Hillary.