Condi Out as VP 'Cause of the Gay Thing? Really?

OK, so in the course of looking at stories about Clay Aiken -- Gay? Really? (Claymates in denial) -- I came across this interesting thing on Condi Rice and how she got eliminated from John McCain's ticket because she is supposedly (apparently?) gay. I had no idea.

According to a prominent member of the Republican National Committee privy to the search process, many in McCain’s inner circle argued furiously for the selection of Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice over the other top contenders, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Tim Pawlenty.“Once Obama selected Biden instead of Hillary,” said the source, ” they had this theory that Condi was the perfect candidate to put up against him. She’s tough, conservative and a hawk, not to mention a football fanatic, which would be more than enough for white men. ... So what went wrong? “It was the persistent rumors about her sexuality that ultimately killed her chances and removed her from the list,” says the mid-level RNC official. ... According to her biographer, Washington Post diplomatic correspondent Glenn Kessler, the never married Rice shares ownership of a house as well as a line of credit with a female documentary filmmaker, a liberal Democrat named Randy Bean. Digging through real estate records, Kessler discovered the pair’s co-ownership of a property in Palo Alto, California as well as a joint line of credit with a bank, an arrangement Bean has explained unconvincingly as relating to medical bills that left her financially drained. It’s possible that others previously investigating Rice’s background came across the joint ownership of the investment property and the bank account but assumed the name “Randy” belonged to a man. Rice once told a reporter that Bean is her closest female friend and that they bonded over their mutual love of football.

I Hear There's a Convention On ...

So I watched a little of the Democrats' convention tonight (and listened to some NPR coverage). I wouldn't say I'm an avid political person, but I'm married to one. Cheryl is one of those PUMAs -- love that acronym: "Party Unity My Ass." She's still bummed out about Hillary. And I admit, I'm fairly disappointed as well. Which is why I'm the kind of person who needs to see the convention. I'm firmly on the side of the D's, as they're the only party looking out for families like mine.

So what the convention does is make me feel good about things. Seeing Teddy Kennedy rock that house and recall great moments past. Watching Michelle Obama give a speech that was compelling yet just imperfect enough to humanize her.

Oh, and yes, that's my girl on the ballot: She ran for precinct committee officer in last week's election. I almost kept the ballot as a souvenir, but Cheryl, being a good PCO, made me vote.

Why I Won't Be Voting for John McCain

I like a maverick. But when that maverick doesn't "believe in" families like mine ...

“I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don’t believe in gay adoption."
- Republican presidential hopeful John McCain tells The New York Times

And for the record, I couldn't agree more with the first part. I just think it's OK if both parents are women. Or men.