INDEPTH: U.S. POLITICS
Condoleezza Rice
CBC News Online | January 28, 2005
Condoleezza Rice was born on Nov. 14, 1954, in Birmingham, Ala. Fifty years and two days later, President George W. Bush named her as his choice to replace Colin Powell as Secretary of State.
The latest top diplomat in the United States – the second consecutive African American named to post – grew up in the midst of segregation.
(AP photo)
|
"My parents had me absolutely convinced that, well, you may not be able to have a hamburger at Woolworth's but you can be the president of the United States," she once said.
Rice entered the University of Denver at the age of 15 and graduated four years later, in 1974, with a bachelor's degree in political science. One of her instructors was Czech refugee Josef Korbel, father of the first female secretary of state, Madeleine Albright. Rice credits Korbel with sparking her interest in international relations and, particularly, the Soviet Union.
In 1975 Rice completed a master's degree at the University of Notre Dame and in 1981, at the age of 26, received a PhD from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver. She is a tenured professor of political science at Stanford University and a fellow at the university's Center for International Security and Arms Control.
In the last days of the Soviet Union, Rice served in the George H. W. Bush administration as director and later senior director of Soviet and East European affairs in the National Security Council.
While serving as special assistant to the president for national security affairs, Rice helped develop President Bush's strategy in favour of German reunification.
Rice broke several records when, in 1993, she became not only the youngest person to be a provost, or high administrative officer, at Stanford University, but also the first female and the first non-white provost. She has been a member of several boards of directors including those of the Chevron Corporation (which named one of its oil tankers Condoleezza Rice but later renamed it Altair Voyager), the Charles Schwab Corporation and the University of Notre Dame. She is a pianist, an ice skater and a sports fan.
In 1986, Rice became special assistant to the director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She served on the Federal Advisory Committee on Gender-Integrated Training in the Military in 1997. And on Jan. 22, 2001, Rice became the first woman to occupy the post of national security adviser to the president.
Rice enjoyed a high profile during Bush's first term, often speaking for the administration on issues of foreign affairs.
Rice was confirmed to her position Jan. 26, 2004, but only after a Senate hearing, where Democrat senators grilled her about the justifications she gave for the Iraq war. Rice was confirmed by a vote of 85-13. Only Henry Clay, confirmed as secretary of state in 1825 by a vote of 27-14, received more votes against confirmation.
While Powell was seen as a moderate in a cabinet of hawks, Rice is viewed as a conservative. When relations between the United States and some European countries were deteriorating over the war in Iraq, Rice raised eyebrows when she suggested Washington should punish France, ignore Germany and forgive Russia.
Expected to top Rice's agenda is the Middle East and getting the "roadmap to peace" back on track. Israeli officials say they expect no change in American policy with the appointment of Rice. Bush is seen as the most pro-Israel president in history.
Palestinian politicians say they hope Washington will now devote more attention to bringing peace to the Middle East.
Read Condoleezza Rice's testimony before the 9/11 Commission: Full transcript
Key quotes from Rice's testimony before the 9/11 Commission:
"There was no silver bullet that could have prevented the 9/11 attacks."
"It did not warn of attacks inside the United States. It was historical information based on old reporting. There was no new threat information. And it did not, in fact, warn of any coming attacks inside the United States."
— Rice's testimony on the Aug. 6, 2001 presidential daily briefing (PDB) entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States."
"I really don't remember, commissioner, whether I discussed this with the president."
— Rice answers a question on whether she told President George W. Bush about the presence of al-Qaeda cells in the U.S. before the Aug. 6 PDB.
"When it came right down to it, this country, for reasons of history and culture and therefore law, had an allergy to the notion of domestic intelligence, and we were organized on that basis. And it just made it very hard to have all of the pieces come together."
^TOP
|
|
 |
 MENU |
|
|
| EXTERNAL LINKS: |
|
|
| MORE: |
|
|
|
