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The Palestinian Authority's official newspaper, al-Ayyam, on Sunday launched a scathing attack on US National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice, making derogatory remarks about the color of her complexion and the fact that she's a woman. The attack on Rice comes days before her planned visit to the region. In an article entitled "Beware of the Lady of Steel," prominent Palestinian columnist Hasan al-Batal describes Rice as a "black widow" and a "single black lady." Earlier this year, al-Ayyam launched a similar attack on Rice, dubbing her a "black raven." Then, she was targeted for accusing the Palestinian Authority of supporting...

TAVIS SMILEY, host: From NPR in Los Angeles, I'm Tavis Smiley. On today's program, we'll talk about some of the challenges and triumphs of fathers today, and we'll get our laugh on with comedian Rickey Smiley. But first, where are the weapons of mass destruction? Did the Bush administration lie about evidence for going to war with Iraq? Earlier I put those questions directly to National Security Adviser Dr. Condoleezza Rice, who's been on a trip to California promoting US foreign policy. But before we got to the real conversation, I asked Dr. Rice whether the rumor was true that...

U.S. blasts Hamas as main obstacle in Middle East By Patricia Wilson NEW BRITAIN, Conn., June 12 (Reuters) - The United States accused the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Thursday of being the major obstacle to Middle East peace amid a wave of bloodshed that has thrown a U.S.-backed peace plan into turmoil. "The issue is Hamas. The terrorists are Hamas," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters traveling with U.S. President George W. Bush to Connecticut. His comments marked a change in tone from U.S. criticism of Israel for its attempt to kill a Hamas leader on Tuesday. Hamas...

With all the speculation affot that Hillary is laying the groundwork for a 2008 presidential bid with her new book, it occured to me that the GOP might decide that there best play to combat that would be to nominate Condy Rice. Assuming for the sake of this discussion that she would run. Now, I understand that she is reported to have some unpalatable social views (I have heard she considers herself pro-choice, among othe things) but assuming that the hard right folks like me decide to make common cause with the GOP to beat Hillary in spite of this,...

But one man who firmly believes his historic destiny is fast approaching is Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah, who fled Iran in 1979 on the eve of the Islamic revolution and then died of cancer wandering in exile. The heir to the Peacock Throne is 42 and has not seen his homeland for a quarter of a century. But viewed from Virginia, where he lives on his dwindling inheritance, Mr Pahlavi is convinced the ayatollahs who deposed his father are on their own way out. "It could happen in the next few months, or in one or two...

NEW YORK: As a girl, she vowed that she would marry an American footballer, but she has ended up helping to run the country instead. Now there is speculation that Condoleezza Rice may fulfil both ambitions after she invited a handsome sportsman not once but twice to the White House as her date. The gossip began when Gene Washington, a former player with the San Francisco 49ers, turned up at a formal dinner for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines just over a week ago. Noticeably, Rice, the US national security adviser, had also invited him to dine with the...

Under grilling by social critic Camille Paglia and Radar editor Maer Roshan, the proprietor of the billion-hit-a-year Drudgereport.com claims that the DNC has assembled a "really thick . . . dirt file" on Condoleezza Rice. On Rice: "Oh, she's a powerhouse! But the DNC has a dirt file on her that is really thick. Think of 'The Contender,' or those other movies that have warned what happens when a female candidate has some dirt she'd rather hide." As for the so-called "dirt file," DNC Communications Director Debra DeShong gave a non-denial denial. "We don't talk about our research," she said,...

The Lady with the sharp tongue USA OVER SCHRÖDER "It's best to ignore him" George W. Bush's security adviser can imagine improvements in relations with Germany only without Gerhard Schröder. Condoleezza Rice regards the résumé of Joschka Fischer as not suitable for a statesman. Further ... P O L I T I CS The security adviser of George W. Bush can imagine improvements in relations with Germany only without Gerhard Schröder. From FOCUS-information, Condoleezza Rice recently confided to a German in a conversation: The relationship Bush-Schröder will never be what it had been and how it should be. Indeed,...

Has love found Condoleezza Rice? Washington is wondering whether National Football League official Gene Washington may have cracked the code to the national security adviser's heart. Washington, a four-time all-pro wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, seems to have become Rice's regular date at state dinners. On Monday, he escorted her to the White House fete for Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Back in July, she was on Washington's arm at a dinner for Poland President Aleksander Kwasniewski.Rice, 48, and Washington, 56, got to know each other at his alma mater, Stanford University, where she served as provost and he...

LONDON (AFP) - Top British tennis player Tim Henman has accepted an invitation to play US national security adviser Condoleezza Rice when he visits Washington for a tournament in July, a London newspaper reported. Rice, said to be passionate about tennis, will hit a few balls with Henman when he visits Washington for the Legg Mason Classic, a tournament on the men's professional tour, according to The Sunday Times. Henman's agent, quoted in the weekly, said the player had "agreed to play" Rice. The security adviser was a frequent doubles partner of Britain's former ambassador to the United States, Christopher...

She entered college at the age of 15, and has worked her way up through the ranks to take a seat in President Bush’s cabinet. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice was the commencement speaker Friday afternoon at the Mississippi College School of Law graduation. Before a packed audience, 110 Mississippi College law graduates received their final lecture from National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice. Rice told the crowd, "You embody the truth that education is a great equalizer and that here in America it is not about where you come from but where you're going." Rice shared words of wisdom,...

TEL AVIV – In an exclusive interview with Israel’s daily Yediot Aharonot recently, National Security Adviser Dr. Condoleezza Rice said that the “security of Israel is the key to security of the world.” Rice added that she feels “a deep bond to Israel. Asked if her feelings toward Israel stem from her religious convictions, Dr. Rice said, “That is a very deep question. I first visited Israel in 2000. I already then felt that I am returning home despite the fact that this was a place I never visited. I have a deep affinity with Israel. I have always admired...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A presidential envoy personally warned Saudi Arabia last week of U.S. fears of an imminent attack, days before suicide bombings killed 34 people, including seven Americans, U.S. officials said on Wednesday. The disclosure was made after the United States, in a rare criticism, said Saudi Arabia "must deal with the fact that it has terrorists inside its own country" in the aftermath of the bombings. U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Bush's deputy national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, went to Riyadh last week to deliver the warning. White House officials would not confirm Hadley's...

<p>May 13, 2003 -- THE Lady Macbeth of "24" is back. As "24" brings its season to a fiery close, the larger-than-life, snake-in-the-grass Sherry Palmer, played by Penny Johnson Jerald, has suddenly in the thick of things.</p> <p>As if accumulating a track record of conspiracy against her husband, the President, weren't enough, Jerald's character now finds herself head-to-head with Jack Bauer (played by Kiefer Sutherland) who pulled a gun on her in last week's episode, uttering "Don't try me, Mrs. Palmer."</p>

The German government swiftly rejected a proposal from Warsaw to contribute troops to a Polish occupation zone in Iraq, saying it would not consider any economic or military role in the defeated country without a clear United Nations mandate for reconstruction. This seemed to dash hopes in Washington that Germany would break with France on their mutual insistence upon a major role for the UN in Iraq. Defense Minister Peter Struck told the Bundestag parliament that Germany would not send troops to Iraq as part of a larger unit comprising Danish and Polish troops, government spokesman Bela Anda said on...

May 8, 2003 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX) -- The United States would be forced to act if it discovered that Damascus allowed Iraq to hide weapons of mass destruction in Syria during the war, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said in an interview published Wednesday. Rice said she was sure Iraqi weapons of mass destruction would turn up eventually. But she said it was possible some had been removed from Iraq before the fighting concluded last month. "We have assurances from the Syrians that nothing crossed their borders. Time will tell," Rice said in the interviews given to El Pais and...

Rice Says France, Germany Took NATO 'Hostage' MADRID (Reuters) - U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) disparaged France for taking NATO (news - web sites) "hostage" over Iraq (news - web sites) and for threatening smaller countries with reprisals if they backed Washington's war to oust Saddam Hussein (news - web sites). "Nobody should take NATO hostage," Rice said in an interview with four Spanish newspapers published on Wednesday. "It was very unsettling that Germany and France tried to prevent NATO from reinforcing the security of Turkey. There were many unsettling things in that process," she...

MADRID (Reuters) - U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice disparaged France for taking NATO "hostage" over Iraq and for threatening smaller countries with reprisals if they backed Washington's war to oust Saddam Hussein. "Nobody should take NATO hostage," Rice said in an interview with four Spanish newspapers published on Wednesday. "It was very unsettling that Germany and France tried to prevent NATO from reinforcing the security of Turkey. There were many unsettling things in that process," she told Spanish national newspapers El Pais, El Mundo, ABC and La Vanguardia. Her comments were reported in Spanish. While saying that France and...

WASHINGTON, May 2 (UPI) -- Key White House advisers, ignoring pressure from Pentagon hawks and senior Israeli officials, abruptly shut down proposed U.S. plans to expand the Iraqi ground war to Syria in the closing days of combat, administration officials have told United Press International. The U.S. strikes on Syria would have taken the form of brief across-the-border forays under "hot pursuit" rules of engagement, these sources said. Contingency plans for such raids were being drawn up by Doug Feith, undersecretary of defense for policy, after the approval of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, these sources said on condition of...

U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites) gives a thumbs-up as he walks with Vice Admiral Mike Malone (C), Commander Naval Air Forces and Captain Dave Landon, commanding officer Naval Base Coronado, upon arriving at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego May 1, 2003. The President will board an S-3 Viking to fly out to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln to greet the 5,000 sailors aboard the Lincoln as they return home from the war in Iraq (news - web sites). REUTERS/Mike Blake Wearing a flight suit, U.S. President George W. Bush walks with NFO...