Is the US Ready for a Female President?

Hillary versus Condi in 2008? It's entirely possible, according to a recent Marist Poll.

The March 8 survey found that Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton was the runaway favorite among Democrats to run for President in 2008. Among registered Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 39% favored Clinton. Senator and former presidential candidate John Kerry came in a distant second with 21%.

Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, the polling is much tighter. Former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani led with 25% favoring him as a 2008 GOP candidate. But close behind was Senator John McCain, with 21%.

However, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice came in a fairly strong third, at 14%. She also has a 52% approval rating as the nation's top diplomat among voters of all persuasions.

Of course, 2008 is a long way off in political terms, and all of this presumes that the favored candidates actually choose to run and don't get tripped up by scandals and snafus between now and then. But the high opinions of both Clinton and Rice in the survey show that Democrats, Republicans and independents alike are all prepared to take a female presidential candidate seriously.