Associated Press Condoleezza Rice's inclusion on the Republican ticket would scramble the race in ways few other candidates could. 
 
 A new round of speculation about Mitt Romney's running-mate deliberations ensued after a media report mentioned an unconventional choice: former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. 
 
 The Drudge Report website set Washington ablaze in another round of the vice-presidential guessing game Thursday night by posting an item attributed to "sources" naming her as one of the top contenders to be the presumptive Republican nominee's running mate. 
 
 The item mentioned a fundraising email Ms. Rice, 57 years old, sent Thursday night on Mr. Romney's behalf as part of the campaign's "Meet the VP" drive, an initiative intended to increase the number of small-dollar donors in which the winners get to meet the candidate and his eventual running mate. 
 
 A new round of speculation about Mitt Romney's running-mate deliberations ensued after a media report mentioned an unconventional choice: former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Sara Murray has details on Lunch Break. (Photo: Getty Images) 
 
 No one in the Romney camp would confirm or deny the story, in keeping with the campaign's tight-lipped approach to the selection process. But it's possible the item was a trial balloon from the campaign attempting to gauge the reaction to Ms. Rice as a possible pick. 
 
 The report caused outsize fanfare because Romney campaign manager Matt Rhoades has a close working relationship with Matt Drudge, who launched the site in the 1990s and made his preference for the former Massachusetts governor clear during the Republican primary. 
 
 Mr. Rhoades sent an email to supporters late Thursday night alerting them to the campaign's latest fundraising push, telling the recipients, "Sometime between now and the Republican convention, Mitt will be announcing his choice for VP." 
 
 Earlier this week, Mr. Romney told a crowd in Grand Junction, Colo., "I can tell you…the person I choose, you will look at and say, well, that's a person who could be president, if that were necessary." He said, "And that, for me, is the most important single criteria." 
 
 Ms. Rice's assets are obvious: She's a woman; she's black; she has extensive foreign-policy experience; and her inclusion on the ticket would scramble the race in ways few other candidates could. 
 
 Her liabilities are also easy to cite: She has favored abortion rights, a position Mr. Romney has moved away from; she has never run for elected office; she waged frequent battles with former Vice President Dick Cheney; and many conservatives believe she was soft on Iran and North Korea policies during the George W. Bush administration. 
 
 Her tenure in that administration would also feed Democratic criticism that Mr. Romney represents another four years of Mr. Bush. 
 
 Still, in a CNN poll of Republicans in April, Ms. Rice drew the highest levels of support as a possible running mate. 
 
 Twenty-six percent of the respondents picked her, compared with 21% for former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and 14% for both New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. The poll showed Ms. Rice to have an approval rating of 80%. 
 
 Who Might Be a Romney Running Mate? Take a look at some of the possibilities. View Interactive More photos and interactive graphics 
 
 Conservative activist Bill Kristol said he was "ambivalent" about the idea of picking Ms. Rice, saying he has had some differences with her on foreign policy. But he cited her high approval ratings in polls and said, "As a cold blooded political matter, you look at that kind of number and what she could do for me, and you have to be a little bit tempted if you were Mitt Romney." 
 
 Mr. Romney has offered few clues about whom he will tap—or even when he would make the announcement. The only name he has confirmed is Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, an announcement made to refute news reports that said the first-term senator wasn't in the running. 
 
 Ms. Rice sparked vice-presidential speculation late last month by delivering a speech to Romney donors at a retreat for his top financial backers in Park City, Utah. But she quickly doused those rumors, telling CBS's "This Morning," "There is no way I will do this because it's really not me. I know my strengths and weaknesses." 
 
 —Janet Hook contributed to this article. 
 
 Write to Sara Murray at sara.murray@wsj.com ||||| Sarah Palin sat down with Greta van Susteren today for a wide-ranging interview that first hit upon Palin’s reaction to Condoleezza Rice being touted as a top contender for Mitt Romney‘s vice presidential nominee on The Drudge Report. Palin said she thinks Rice would be a great choice, but admitted that Rice’s “moderately pro-choice” views would be a problem for conservatives who would prefer Romney choose a pro-life nominee. 
 
 RELATED: Sarah Palin Blames Media ‘Manipulation’ For Romney’s Polling, Warns Voters Are ‘Wiser’ This Time 
 
 Van Susteren asked Palin for her reaction to the speculation. Palin admitted she thinks Rice would be a good choice, and argued she has a more thorough background than President Obama. However, when Van Susteren pointed out that Rice was “moderately pro-choice,” Palin expressed a few minor reservations. 
 
 “I would certainly prefer a presidential and vice presidential candidate who had that respect for all innocent, precious, purposeful human life, and showed that respect by being a pro-life candidate. We need to remember, though, that it’s not the vice president that would legislate abortion, that would be Congress’ role, and we will keep that in mind.” 
 
 Van Susteren acknowledged that despite the Drudge report, no one has any idea if the information about Rice is accurate or not, and said there is a certain “silliness” to the whole thing. Palin said that journalists “are always looking for something to talk about,” so of course this story would get airtime. 
 
 After spending a few minutes ripping into an Energy Department executive who said Solyndra was “an enormous success,” Palin weighed in on Romney’s speech to the NAACP yesterday. Palin thought that Romney got a very positive reception from a “respectful audience” despite “a smattering of boos.” Susteren brought up recent claims that Romney may have wanted to get booed by the NAACP, and Palin said that if Romney had not gone to the convention, he would have been branded a racist. 
 
 RELATED: O’Reilly Battles With NAACP Executive Over Whether Romney Deliberately Wanted To Get Booed 
 
 The interview ended with Palin agreeing with the Romney campaign to demand that the Obama campaign apologize for a staffer suggesting Romney either lied or could have committed a felony regarding his leadership role at Bain Capital. She told the Romney campaign not to hold back in defending their candidate’s record. 
 
 Watch the full interview below, courtesy of Fox News: 
 
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 Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac
– She's given some pretty emphatic denials, but Condoleezza Rice has still emerged as Mitt Romney's No. 1 choice for vice president, according to the Drudge Report. Despite her repeated statements that elected office is not for her, Rice wowed the conservative establishment with her speech at a Romney retreat in Utah a few weeks ago and intrigued with comments in a recent email to supporters. "2012 is perhaps a turning point for the United States," she wrote, saying that she is often asked to speak about foreign policy, but "we, as a country, are not going to be able to address any of those international challenges unless we first get our domestic house in order." With the close relationship between some members of the Romney campaign and Matt Drudge, analysts are wondering if the Rice story is a scoop or a trial balloon, notes the Wall Street Journal. Political observers say Rice would be a mixed VP candidate—she's respected, black, and female, but could remind voters of the Bush presidency and favors some abortion rights. That's an issue that Sarah Palin was quick to pick up on when she was interviewed by Greta van Susteren yesterday, reports Mediaite. "I would certainly prefer a presidential and vice presidential candidate who had that respect for all innocent, precious, purposeful human life, and showed that respect by being a pro-life candidate," said Palin, who was otherwise very supportive of Rice.