When he wins the election...McCain, that is.

As everyone seems to have noticed, the carnage of the Democratic race to get the candidacy is only helping one man. And that man is John McCain. He now has a slight lead over both Clinton and Obama and about half of Democrats are displeased with the battle that has lasted far too long to decide who their candidate will be this fall. He casually plays with the candidates’ remarks and missteps, like this latest comment in response to Obama’s comment in PA, “[The people Obama was calling bitter] are the heart and soul of our country.” Sounds like a man trying to win the presidency, according to German news site Spiegel. He has his hawks, former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton and William Kristol, a Washington neoconservative, and he has his doves, former Secretary of State Colin Powell and his ex-deputy, Richard Armitage. Spiegel observes that if McCain could do what he wanted, he would push Russia out of the G-8. He also wants to enlarge the U.S. military, but as a “realistic idealist,” understands the importance of negotiating rather than using force.

McCain has another thing up his sleeve, Spiegel says, and “when two people argue, it sometimes means that a fourth person wins out.” And this fourth person? Condoleezza Rice. She has all the things the Democratic candidates have, and more—black and female, experienced and well-spoken. Spiegel predicts that as a likely appointee to run as Vice President, Rice could launch her own presidential campaign from behind McCain. He will probably only serve one term and her bid for the presidency seems possible in 2012. True, Spiegel calls this potential addition to McCain’s ticket “a little bit of glamour,” but what candidate hasn’t won without some kind of special mark to set them apart from the crowd? Rice appeals to several different demographics and with her tough yet not stubborn demeanor, she is willing to defend sensitive issues. With this kind of staying power and appeal to the median voter, McCain would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to put Rice on his ticket. It might just be that extra push he needs to completely push the Democratic candidate out of sight.