A McCain-Rice ticket could carry New York, a new poll says.

(CNN) – Condoleezza Rice has said she has no desire to be John McCain's running mate, but a new poll out Wednesday suggests that duo could beat the Democratic ticket in the bluest of states.

In a new poll conducted by Marist College and WNBC, a McCain-Rice ticket would beat a ticket that includes both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in New York — a state that reliably votes for the Democratic candidate. (In 2004, John Kerry beat President Bush there by nearly 20 points. In 2000, the margin between Al Gore and Bush was an even higher 25 points.)

But should McCain and Rice team up, the poll suggests the two Republicans would carry New York, defeating a Clinton-Obama ticket by 3 points (49-46 percent) and an Obama-Clinton ticket by 5 points (49-44 percent.)

The poll comes days after a leading Republican strategist suggested Rice, contrary to her own public statements, is engaging in a behind-the-scenes campaign to land a spot on McCain's ticket. Former Bush administration official Dan Senor made the suggestion on ABC Sunday, noting Rice's recent appearance at the weekly meeting of Americans for Tax Reform — a leading organization of Republican insiders — as evidence she is attempting to cozy up to the conservative elite.

That suggestion immediately had Beltway insiders speculating on the potential advantages Rice would deliver, especially in light of the fact the Democratic presidential ticket will either feature a woman or an African-American for the first time in American history.

Rice herself attempted to put the speculation to rest Tuesday, saying, "I very much look forward to watching this campaign and voting as a voter — I have a lot of work to do and then I'll happily go back to Stanford."

But with polls like this, it's likely some Republicans hope she reconsiders.

Watch: The Best Political Team ponders a McCain-Rice ticket

Rice said Tuesday she's not interested in being McCain's running mate.

(CNN) — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dismissed rumors on Tuesday she is angling to be John McCain's running mate, telling reporters she plans to head back to Stanford University.

"I very much look forward to watching this campaign and voting as a voter," she said. "I have a lot of work to do and then I'll happily go back to Stanford."

Rice served as Provost at Stanford from 1993-1999, and remains a tenured professor there.

"Senator McCain is an extraordinary American," Rice also said of the presumptive Republican nominee. "A really outstanding leader and obviously a great patriot."

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Secretary of State Rice spoke with reporters Friday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, sandwiched between two major overseas trips, made a rare appearance at the State Department’s press briefing room Friday and talked politics. She told the packed room of reporters that she has no interest in running for Vice President on the 2008 Republican ticket. Instead, she says, her next stop will be California.

“I have always said that the one thing that I have not seen myself doing is running for elected office in the United States,” Rice said. “I didn’t even run for high-school President, Rice joked, “It’s not in my genes.”

Rice added that there are “very good people running for the American people to make their choices. I will be making my choice as a voter and that's going to be fun after a campaign in 2000 in which I was extremely involved.” Rice says she is not involved at all in this campaign. It’s a demanding period for her at the State Department, dealing with North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Russia, Serbia, and Rice doesn’t have much time left to make her mark.

She insisted that she’s going to stick with her job until the very end of her term: “I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing as Secretary of State to see if we can use the last few months, as the President has put it, to sprint to the finish.”

–CNN State Department Correspondent Zain Verjee

WASHINGTON (CNN) — It's almost Christmas, but you wouldn't know it from the pace the presidential hopefuls are keeping up on the campaign trail.

In Friday's The Best Political Podcast, we take an extended look at Mike Huckabee's views on foreign policy.  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice handed the former Arkansas Governor a big lump of coal Friday when she responded to Huckabee's recent criticism of the Bush administration.  Dana Bash also has been following Huckabee out on the trail and files a report on his approach to the country's most significant foreign policy issues.

Buying presents isn't the only thing about which some people in Iowa and New Hampshire have been proscratinating.  Bill Schneider reports on undecided voters in the two key early primary states.

Just in time for the holiday, some members of Congress have made gifts of your tax dollars to their respective districts in the form of earmarks in the latest spending bill.  But, President Bush may play Scrooge and order federal agencies not to act on at least some of the Congressional goodies included in the bill.  Brian Todd reports on the battle between the White House and Capitol Hill over earmarks.

Finally, in our weekly gift to you, we look at the most memorable moments from the campaign trail in this week's Trail Mix — a treat you can only get from CNN in The Best Political Podcast. 

Click here to subscribe to The Best Political Podcast

–CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

Clinton wants more diplomats.

NASHUA, New Hampshire (CNN) — At a Granite state town hall, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton pledged to end the "era of cowboy diplomacy," and criticized the Bush administration for their unwillingness to send diplomats other than Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice.

Clinton expressed concern over the crisis in Pakistan and shared with the audience that she had suggested in January for the President to send a senior diplomatic envoy to assuage tensions between the Afghani and Pakistani governments.

Instead, Clinton said, " Cheney went out, read everybody the riot out, about you behave, you do this, you do that. Left. That was the end of it."

"You have to laugh to stop from crying," Clinton said with frustration. "It seems like we have one diplomat, Condi Rice. She's an able woman, but she can't cover the entire world, and yet that's the only person that President Bush apparently is willing to send anywhere."

Clinton described U.S. foreign policy as "tainted" and damaged by the administration's disregard for international norms, treaties and conventions. She then added, "Their attitude is that somehow the United States not only should, but must, go at it alone. That's not going to work."

Responding to Clinton's comments, Republican National Committee spokesman Brian Walton said, "The same Hillary Clinton that can’t take a consistent position on Iraq, opposes the monitoring of phone calls of terrorists that want to kill Americans, and follows the lead of MoveOn.org when it comes to funding our troops has no credibility when it comes to national security issues."

– CNN New Hampshire Producer Sareena Dalla

Watch an anti-war protester confront Rice in a House hearing Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – An especially aggressive protester confronted Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Wednesday as she got set to testify before the House Foreign Relations Committee on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A protester with blood-colored paint on her hands rushed toward Rice as she entered the hearing room, charging repeatedly that the Secretary of State was a "war criminal." The individual was later identified as Desiree Anita Ali-Fairooz.

Fairooz, a member of the anti-war group Code Pink, got within inches of Rice before security officials struggled to remove her from the hearing room. Rep. Tom Lantos, the chairman of the committee, repeatedly yelled, "Out!" as police forced Fairooz from the room.

Lantos ordered other members of Code Pink to be removed from the hearing as well.

The Capitol Police press office could not be reached for comment, but Reuters reports five people were arrested at the event, including Fairooz. She was charged with disorderly conduct and assault on a police officer, the news agency reports.

Related: The group behind those blood-colored hands

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Watch CNN's Zain Verjee report Secretary Rice tops a new power ranking.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — CNN's Zain Verjee reports Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is flying high after topping a new ranking of Washington's most powerful figures.