Rice not in race for US Vice Presidency

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is not bidding for the post of Vice President, her spokesperson said.

"If she is actively seeking the Vice Presidency, then she's the last one to know about it," Sean McCormack said, dampening speculations that Rice was interested in becoming US presidential candidate John McCain's running mate.

According to McCormack, Rice would return to Stanford University, where she was a tenured professor.

She was focusing on her work as the Secretary of State as there was actually quite a bit left to do, Washington Post

quoted him as saying.

The rumours erupted on Sunday after GOP political operative Dan Senor claimed that Rice was 'actively, actually in recent weeks, campaigning for the job'.

Rice had earlier stated that she had no interest in being the Vice President after nearly eight years in Washington and a year as a campaign adviser to then Governor George W Bush.

She said it was time for 'new blood'.

Rice has mused about returning to the faculty at Stanford and writing a political science book that only policy wonks would want to read.