Condoleezza Rice and Peter McKay an item?

Could this be the hottest political love connection since.....well.....Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky?  Well, not on that scale but Condoleezza Rice and Peter McKay have the world talking this week.

Secretary of State Condi Rice - currently with long 60 to 1 odds of winning the 2008 Presidential race - is reportedly smitten with Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Peter McKay (and the feelings appear to be mutual).  Media across the globe are speculating as to how far this "relationship" will go.

See 2008 Presidential betting odds at

"It is amazing that the US media really hasn't picked up on this story yet," commented Gambling911.com Political Analyst Payton O'Brien.  "The rest of the world is talking."
"I'll have a large mocha cappuccino please"


Could McKay be coming to Washington?

Indeed they are.  Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met in Nova Scotia this week to mark the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and discuss trade issues.

But any rehearsed political messages were overshadowed by the image of MacKay and Rice smiling and clasping hands while gazing into each other's eyes at the conclusion of a news conference on Tuesday.

"What are the odds that Peter McKay and Condoleezza Rice will marry?" a Columbian news agency asked Gambling911.com Thursday morning.

So far these odds have not yet been released.

"We are pushing the online bookmakers to put out odds on the potential new political power couple," O'Brien confirmed.  "So far no takers."

And it's not the usual suspects questioning the possibility of a bedroom romp between Condi and Peter.  Nope, not the News of the World, not the Inquirer, not the Daily Mail, but The New York Times!

The New York Times on Wednesday poked fun at Rice's possible romantic connection to her Canadian counterpart MacKay, who the article described as ''the closest thing to eye candy on the diplomatic circuit.'' The article included photographs of the couple together on a waterfront stroll on Tuesday, as well as the now-infamous image of the pair smiling while facing each other at a news conference.

The Canadian news media has been all over this story, including CanWest News Wire which writes that as long as Condoleezza and Peter are in public office and under scrutiny, the chatter will probably never stop either, according to co-author of the Washington Post's popular gossip column, Reliable Source.

''One of the hazards of her job is being romantically linked with any eligible and sometimes not-eligible world leader,'' said Roxanne Roberts. ''I think the idea that the Secretary of State of the United States would hook up with one of the world's most powerful men is very sexy.''

Although numerous writers have commented on the fact both Rice and MacKay seem to light up when the other is nearby, Roberts said it's doubtful there's any truth to the romance rumours.

''I don't think there's any substance to any of the rumours,'' she said. ''She's very charming, but I don't think that she would endanger the serious aspects of her business to have a fling.''

---

Christopher Costigan, www.gambling911.com

Originally published September 15, 2006 12:37 am ET