Bob Fertik gives us the 411 on John Negroponte's demotion from Director of the National Intelligence Department to Condoleeza Rice's deputy at the State Department [Liza's Note : This article has been reprinted with permission by the author] :

Everyone is trying to figure out why John Negroponte would take a demotion from Director of National Intelligence - overseeing 16 intelligence agencies with an unlimited budget and zero oversight - to become Condi's #2 at the State Department, which gets as much respect (and funding) under Bush as the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

There's a very simple reason: Karl Rove has chosen Condi Rice to run for President , and he needs to line up her replacement so she can resign in March to begin her campaign - before she has to answer subpoenas from Joe Biden.

You read it here first.

The idea of running Condi isn't new; Dick "Toesucker" Morris wrote a book about it , and talks about it all the time on FOX.

Many believe that the White House is Hillary's to lose, but as longtime strategists Dick Morris and Eileen McGann explain in Condi vs. Hillary, the former first lady's bid for the Oval Office is vulnerable to a challenge from a most unexpected quarter: the Bush administration's brilliant and charismatic secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice.

Of course, Condi has insisted repeatedly that she would never run for President - because she knew she could never beat Hillary, despite Toesucker's wet dreams.

But that was before the great Republican meltdown of 2006, before Hillary moved ahead of Republicans in the polls, and before Obamamania unleashed a powerful force that, when hitched to Hillary's wagon as VP, could be the most powerful Democratic ticket in a generation.

Led entirely by discredited angry white men, the GOP is on the brink of extinction, and there is no one who can ride in on a white horse to save them.

Rudy Giuliani? If Bernie Kerik doesn't bring him down, ex-wife Donna Hanover will - just read Rudy's own secret memo.

John McCain? The champion of the "surge" will be blamed personally for every U.S. soldier who is killed between now and Election Day 2008. As John Edwards told George Stephanopoulos, it's the "McCain Doctrine."

Newt Gingrich? He led the "Republican Revolution" that became thoroughly corrupt and was thoroughly rejected by voters - including many angry conservatives - last November. And, like Rudy, he has a few bitter ex-wives too.

Mitt Romney? He was for abortion rights before he was against it. He was for gay marriage before he was against it. And what will Virgil Goode say about a candidate who would swear his oath of office on the Book of Mormon?

So who can save the GOP? Until 2000, the only Republican with appeal beyond the GOP base was Colin Powell. But he lost all credibility when he sold the full package of Bush-Cheney Iraq War Lies to the world at the U.N. As Bush once said, "Fool me twice ... you can't get fooled again!"

There is no one left on the Republican bench. The GOP needs a "Hail Mary" pass.

Hail Condi, the GOP's great black hope.