VP Condi? Not Likely...

Unlike the Democrats who are still deciding on their presidential candidate, the Republicans can move on to the next step. Now that they have their presumptive nominee in John McCain, they can look for his future running mate. And whose name has been mentioned the most? Current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Not only would Rice add “star power” to the Republican ticket, but she could also be a valuable partner to take on the first African-American or female presidential candidate from the Democrats. There’s only one problem with this plan: she’s not interested.

Rice dismissed rumors today about a possible John McCain partnership by saying, "I very much look forward to watching this campaign and voting as a voter.” She continued, “I have a lot of work to do and then I'll happily go back to Stanford." Rice served as a Stanford provost from 1993-1999 before joining the Bush White House staff and still remains a tenured professor there.

"I have always said that the one thing that I have not seen myself doing is running for elected office in the United States," Rice has said, and she plans to stay true to her word by returning to Stanford.

So if Rice is out, let’s take a look at who is left. McCain says he has a list of 20 potential running mates. Although he hasn’t said who made the cut, possible names include:

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford

So what do you think? Who do you think would be the best vice presidential candidate for John McCain? Who would best increase his chances of winning in November?