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Flash bulbs popping while discussing economics and security Eight days, six countries, and a rock star welcome. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is making her first visit to Asia since moving into her offices at the State Department. And so far, the trip is the stuff of front-page photos and video headlines here. After nearly 16-and-a-half hours of flying time, Rice stepped off the Boeing 757 after sunset on Tuesday to a platform filled with still and video photographers in New Delhi, the American ambassador to India waiting on the tarmac to show her to her car, and various...

She's in the news for her sartorial sensations and for a so-categorically-denied-it-sounded-like-yes response to speculation she'll run for president in 2008. In Condoleezza Rice's early weeks as secretary of State, she is racking up air miles at a near record pace and overseeing a Bush foreign policy that appears to be shifting lately in her direction. Some expert observers are calling it a shift to "realism" - of the kind Ms. Rice promoted in the early days of the Bush presidency, when she was national security adviser. Some signs: • After months of refusal, the US is now joining three...

Condoleezza Rice may or may not run for president in '08, but she's already got the hang of it. The secretary of state wowed 'em in Europe, even in Paris, where some of the old geezers leaning on their canes and sipping absinthe on the Champs Elysee thought she was Josephine Baker (without the bananas), demonstrating what we already knew over here: Condi is as good as she looks. Now she's off to Asia, and she stopped at The Washington Times for coffee, Danish and conversation about the hard cheeses inevitably served up to secretaries of state. Click to learn...

NEW DELHI (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) is to start a six-nation Asian tour in New Delhi, where her talks were expected to be dominated by the peace process between India and Pakistan. Rice, on her first visit to Asia since assuming the office, was to arrive in the evening with her official programme starting Wednesday, when she has a whirlwind day of meetings. Officials said she is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Foreign Minister Natwar Singh and senior opposition leader Lal Krishna Advani before continuing to Islamabad for...

When the American Conservative Union (ACU) celebrated its 40th anniversary last May with a black-tie dinner at Washington's J.W. Marriott Hotel, the dais was filled with assorted right-wing activists -- plus one diplomat. It was John Bolton, under secretary of state for arms control and international security whose nomination last week as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations shocked the liberal foreign policy establishment. The ACU is respectable enough to have been addressed that evening by President George W. Bush. But Bolton was the first diplomat ever seated at the organization's head table. He is the first U.S. senior diplomat...

I read, with just a little more than disappointment, today's Washington Times article about Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, her political ambitions, and her "mildly pro-choice" stance on abortion. In this, and numerous other interviews, she describes herself as "deeply religious". She points out that she is the daughter of a Presbyterian minister. In this interview with the Presbyterian Layman, she describes herself as an, “all-over-the-map Republican” and “almost shockingly libertarian” on other issues. Lest the reader be misled, there is more than one Presbyterian church. The one which claims Dr. Rice as one of it's own is none other...

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday pointedly declined to rule out running for president in 2008, and gave her most detailed explanation of a "mildly pro-choice" stance on abortion. In an interview with editors and reporters in the office of the editor in chief at The Washington Times, she said she would not want the government "forcing its views" on abortion. She seemed bemused by speculation that a Rice candidacy could set up an unprecedented all-woman matchup with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York Democrat, who is widely expected to seek the presidency. "I never wanted to run for anything...

DEMOCRATSHillary ClintonBorn October 26, 1947 - Chicago, Illinois Age in 2008:  61J.D. degree, 1973 - Yale Law School (New Haven, CT) B.A. degree, 1969 - Wellesley College (Wellesley, MA)Profession:  LawyerPolitical career2001 - present:  U.S. Senator, New YorkOther1993-2001:  First Lady of the United States 1983-1993:  First Lady of Arkansas 1979-1981:  First Lady of Arkansas 1976:  Attorney, Rose Law Firm 1975:  On faculty of University of Arkansas Law School 1974:  Adviser to Nixon impeachment inquiryTom VilsackBorn December 13, 1950 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Age in 2008:  57J.D. degree, 1975 - Union University's Albany Law School (Albany, NY) B.A. degree, 1972 - Hamilton College...

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world. A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in...

Good Evening Fellow Freepers. I'd like to take this opportunity to announce that your friendly grassroots Condoleezza Rice for President 527 Committee, also known as Americans For Dr. Rice, has finally set up a message board that we affectionately call TEAM CONDI. Yes, we know that President Bush was only inaugurated two months back. We also know that due to the activities of the Grand Kleagle and Babs, Miss Condi has been on the job for a shorter period of time than that. But since Hillary Clinton is already hiring staffers for her 2008 campaign, we figured that we'd...

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday told Canadian diplomats of her disappointment over Ottawa's decision to opt out of a U.S.-led antiballistic missile shield program. U.S. officials have made no secret of their unhappiness with the Canadian stance. Last week Rice deferred plans to visit America's northern neighbor early in her tenure at the State Department, although her spokesman said the change was not a sign of Rice's displeasure. Canadian diplomats requested a short meeting Tuesday with Rice on the sidelines of an international conference on Palestinian reform. She met for 10 to 15 minutes with Canadian Foreign Affairs...

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in London, March 1, 2005. Rice cited what she called "firm evidence" that the Islamic Jihad militant group helped plan last week's Tel Aviv suicide bombing from Syria. Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair meets Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for bi-lateral talks at the "Supporting the Palestinian Authority" meeting in London. Rice used the meeting to confirm that a U.S. military security expert would "soon relocate to the region to lead our efforts." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during their meeting in London, March 1, 2005. Israelis and Palestinians...

Sec'y Rice at conference: terrorist organizations must be dismantled, Israel must not prejudice final settlement Remarks at the London Meeting Supporting the Palestinian Authority Secretary Condoleezza Rice Queen Elizabeth II Conference Center London, England March 1, 2005 www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2005/42822.htmhttp://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2005/42822.htm I would like to join Foreign Minister Asselbourn and Secretary General Annan in thanking you, Prime Minister, for hosting this important event in support of the Palestinian people. Mr. Prime Minister: Your personal dedication to the cause of Middle East peace has helped to make the present moment rich with hope and opportunity. I would also like to thank President Abbas, whose...

London - President Thabo Mbeki criticised the United States for calling Zimbabwe an "outpost of tyranny" saying, in an interview published on Tuesday, that it went against Washington's efforts to promote democracy worldwide. The comment attacked by Mbeki was made by US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, who listed six "outposts of tyranny" last month; Zimbabwe, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar and North Korea. "It's an exaggeration and whatever (the US) government wants to do with that list of six countries, or however many, it's really somewhat discredited," Mbeki told the Financial Times. South Africa has served as an important mediator...

WASHINGTON, DC -- Now for the bad news. Two weeks ago, the mainstream media were chasing after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on her whirlwind debutante tour of Europe, commenting on her elegant ensembles and disarming smile. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez was accusing the United States of trying to assassinate him. This week, the potentates of the press were mused over President Bush's efforts to melt the iciest of 'Old European' hearts. But within four hours of Florida, Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega -- still the head of the communist-inspired Sandinista Party -- was endorsing Chavez' call for...

I pick up today's WaPo out of the snow, and this was the front page image:Click for bigger. I don't think that anyone, anywhere, could ask for better imagery. Just look at the placement it got. Even more interesting, there is not a story about the Secretary of State on the front page. Applauding soldiers, the American flag, stylish in all black - those boots are made for walking, no doubt. I know the editorial board over at the Post loved General Powell, but he never got anything like this.

By Nancy E. Soderberg, Nancy E. Soderberg, a senior national security advisor in the Clinton administration, is the author of "The Superpower Myth, the Use and Misuse of American Might." Let me be the first to say it: Condoleezza Rice may be in line for a Nobel Peace Prize. As a critic of the Bush administration and a Democrat, I'm not a fan of Rice's record as national security advisor. But if her new rhetoric means a real second-term conversion, she may go down in history as one of the most successful secretaries of State ever. By Nancy E. Soderberg,...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: The President, First Lady and their party, including White House Chief of Staff Andy Card and Secretary of State Condi Rice, touched down safely in Brussels approximately noon Pacific time (3:00pm eastern). In his radio address yesterday, the President called on Europe to reduce trade barriers. An important development in the Pacific is getting little attention due to the President's trip: The administration has worked out arrangements with Japan for joint U.S.-Japanese protection of Taiwan. QUOTE OF THE DAY: From the President's Radio Address, 2/19/05 Even the best of friends do not agree on everything....

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: The President and Mrs. Bush are spending the weekend at the White House. There are no scheduled public appearances. There was some confusion on FR this week as to whether or not Karl Rove was promoted. He was, in fact, promoted to Deputy White House Chief of Staff. For those interested in the details, here is a link to the daily WH press briefing at which Rove's appointment was discussed in full. For those who are interested in the Jeff Gannon matter, here's a link to the daily WH press briefing in which this matter...

WASHINGTON -- From the moment she landed in London last week on the first leg of her inaugural diplomacy tour, the gaze of Europe smothered Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, focusing on the big picture--such as troubles with Iran--and the tiniest details, including her Italian pumps. "I don't think I've ever seen that many cameras," Rice marveled after an appearance last Friday in Berlin. But if Rice was surprised by the attention, her team seemed more than prepared to try to handle and manage it. Across about 40 interviews or media events, seven days and nine countries in Europe and...