General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Nicole Wallace is on fire today. She's asking each guest... [View all]Stunning to me that Nicole Wallace has such devotion from ANY DEM. My how memories are short. Disclaimer, I watch her show. And most of the time I find her reasonable. But I watch with skepticism. I haven't forgotten who Nicole Wallace is. Florida Re-count anyone? WMD's in Iraq anyone ? And my all time favorite, the entrance of Sarah Palin on the national stage.
Political career
"Briefly an on-air reporter in California, Wallace started her political career working in California state politics.[13] In 1999, she moved to Florida to serve as Governor Jeb Bush's press secretary and then became the Communications Director for the Florida State Technology Office in 2000.[12] Wallace worked on the 2000 Florida election recount.[14]
White House and Bush 2004 presidential campaign
Wallace joined the White House staff during George W. Bush's first term, serving as special assistant to the President and director of media affairs at the White House, where she oversaw regional press strategy and outreach.[15] In 2003, Wallace joined Bush's 2004 presidential campaign as its communications director, wherein according to The New York Times she "delivered her political attacks without snarling."[16]
On January 5, 2005, Bush named Wallace White House Communications Director.[15] The New York Times story announcing her presidential appointment carried the headline: "New Aide Aims to Defrost the Press Room" and described Wallace's intentions "to improve the contentious relationship between a secretive White House and the press."[16] According to The Washington Post, Wallace served as "a voice for more openness with reporters", and former colleagues describe Wallace as having been "very persuasive in the halls of the West Wing."[14] She left the White House in July 2006 to relocate to New York City, where her husband Mark was representing the Bush Administration at the United Nations.[14] Her White House colleague, presidential political advisor Mark McKinnon, called her a "rare talent in politics."[17]
McCain 2008 presidential campaign
Wallace also served as a senior advisor for the John McCain 2008 presidential campaign. She appeared frequently on network and cable news programs as the campaign's top spokesperson and defender.[18]
In late October 2008, campaign aides criticized vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. One unnamed McCain aide said Palin had "gone rogue," placing her own future political interests ahead of the McCain/Palin ticket, directly contradicting her running mate's positions, and disobeying directions from campaign managers.[19][20] In response to reports of dissension within the McCain-Palin campaign, Wallace issued a statement to both Politico and CNN saying: "If people want to throw me under the bus, my personal belief is that the most honorable thing to do is to lie there."[21][19]
Wallace was portrayed by Sarah Paulson in the 2012 film Game Change.[22] Wallace described the film as highly credible, saying the film "captured the spirit and emotion of the campaign." Wallace also told ABC News Chief Political Correspondent George Stephanopoulos that the film was "true enough to make me squirm."[23] Eight years after the election, Wallace stated that she did not vote for a presidential candidate in 2008 because Sarah Palin gave her pause."[24]