Speculation is sharpening about whether Mitt Romney will select former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as his Vice President. Unfortunately, a lot of the reasoning behind the guessing isn’t.

Recent commentary in Time, for example, talks about Dr. Rice as a game-changer. Why? Because she’s a woman and she’s black. Those qualities—apparently—are all it takes to “help [Romney] with women and perhaps even improve his image in the African American community.”

Women and all voters deserve more credit. As Sabrina Schaeffer pointed out in her terrific FoxNews article, Dr. Rice would be a welcome voice of reason amidst the over-the-top “war-on-women” rhetoric. She is also a distinguished advocate for issues important to women and men alike, including personal liberty and responsibility with regard to education, healthcare, employment, and the proper role of government.

Many things can change from now until the election. Hopefully, the quality of political discourse is one of them.