[Evan] Bayh Says He Won't Support [Rice] for Secretary of State

[Tafiti]

The article hints that he may be looking to run for President in 2008. Is this a principled stance, or a political one?

<snip> (from Indianapolis Star)

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana said Tuesday that he would vote against elevating national security adviser Condoleezza Rice to secretary of state because the Bush administration has to be held accountable for mistakes in Iraq.

"I believe that she has been a principal architect of policy errors that have tragically undermined our prospects for success," said Bayh, one of the earliest Democratic supporters for Bush's decision to invade Iraq.

Bayh's criticism of the war's handling suggests his interest in running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, said Thomas Mann, a political scientist at the Brookings Institution.

"Defending the Bush administration's record on Iraq is the kiss of death for a Democratic presidential candidate," Mann said.

Edited to add link: http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/212439-9145-010.html