Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday that Herman Cain's withdrawal from the Republican presidential primary field "was probably a good thing."
"It would have been a continuing distraction from the questions that we needed to answer," said Rice on ABC's "The View" Tuesday.
Cain announced Saturday he was suspending his campaign amid continuing allegations of sexual harassment and a 13-year extramarital affair.
"Whatever happened is now between Herman Cain and Mrs. Cain and that's the way that it should be, but as long as it was a public issue I do think it had a tendency to divert our attention," she added.
While Rice wouldn't reveal who she had voted for in the 2008 presidential election, she said she plans on voting for the Republican nominee in 2012.
"We have a secret ballot as Americans and I keep my vote that way, but I'll vote for the Republican nominee," Rice said. "There are some good people in this field."
Rice told "The View" that although primary races can be "a little bit crazy," it's a good opportunity to see the candidates when they are somewhat off balance, tired and under pressure.
"I can guarantee you that when they get into the Oval Office that's going to be magnified a hundred times over, so primaries play a really good role helping the American people assess who might have the right temperament," Rice said.
