"The Secretary of State is America's face to the world, and in Dr. Rice, the world will see the strength, grace, and decency of our country. . . . I've relied on her counsel, benefited from her great experience, and appreciated her sound and steady judgment. And now I'm honored that she's agreed to serve in my cabinet." -President George W. Bush, in his official statement nominating Condoleezza Rice as the next secretary of state. "What (Condi)...articulates and lives in a personal faith that strengthens her in her demanding and controversy-laden calling." -Christianity Today "Sheds light on the personal and political history of one of Washington's most powerful figures." -New York Daily News "A well-written, highly readable portrait. It's hard to resist the story of a black woman born in segregated Birmingham, Alabama in 1954, who broke down every barrier to excel in an arena dominated by white men...thorough and engaging." -Publishers Weekly "A must-read for anyone serious about keeping tabs on the fast-paced political arena. Even readers with a disinterest in politics may find the success story compelling and hard to put down." -The Star (Chicago, IL) "In all my years of interviewing, I have never been prouder to spell my name w-o-m-a-n than after spending time with Condoleezza Rice." -Oprah

CondiCopyright © 2002, 2005 by Antonia FelixNew updated edition, originally published by Newmarket Press.Requests for information should be addressed to:Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataFelix, Antonia.Condi : the Condoleezza Rice story / Antonia Felixp. cm.Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN-10: 0-310-26968-7ISBN-13: 978-0-310-26868-71. Rice, Condoleezza, 1954– 2. National Security Council (U.S.)—Biography 3. Presidents—United States—Staff—Biography. I. Title.UA23.15 .F45 2002355'.033073'092—dc212002012206This edition printed on acid-free paper.The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resourceto you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply anendorsement on the part of Zondervan, nor do we vouch for their content for thelife of this book.All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in anyform, without written permission. Inquiries should be addressed to PermissionsDepartment, Newmarket Press, 18 East 48th Street, New York, NY 10017.Printed in the United States of America.05 06 07 08 09 10 11 /?DCI / 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1ONECoaching the Candidate“The presidency is not just the President.It’s a whole team of people whoare going to get things done.”—Condoleezza Rice, 1999TO everyone in her inner circle, she is known asCondi, a name that trips off the tongue more easilythan her full given name. Her mother, a pianist and organist,fashioned Condoleezza (kahn-dah-LEE-za) fromthe Italian term con dolcezza, which in a score of music instructsthe performer to play “with sweetness.” There isa tradition of Italian names on both sides of Condi’sfamily—Theresa, Angelena, Angela, Genoa, Alto—andthe unusual spin that the Rices put on her name was fittingfor the distinctive individual she would become. Inraising Condoleezza, John and Angelena Rice followedthe direction inherent in her name, always heaping kindnessupon her in their zealous efforts to educate, inspire,and motivate her to excel. Condi’s rock-solid foundationof love and positive influence underlies every step shehas taken, including her entry into an office just downthe hall from the president of the United States.The president has always called her Condi, while herstaff members call her Dr. Rice. She appears to have escapedthe president’s penchant for nicknames, eventhough most of his associates as well as press people havebeen dubbed with one. Even heads of state are not immune—as his friendship with Russian President VladimirPutin warmed in early 2002, George W. dubbed him“Pootie-Poot.”Condoleezza’s foray into the Bushes’ inner circle waslaunched at a dinner at Stanford University in 1987, whena few remarks she made changed the course of her career.Along with other members of the political science faculty,she attended an event at which President Gerald R.Ford’s national security advisor, Brent Scowcroft, made aspeech. During the dinner afterward, which was attendedby many of the top foreign policy minds in the country,Scowcroft found the conversation “dreary” until a youngpolitical science professor named Dr. Rice spoke up.“Here was this slip of a girl,” he recalled. “Boy, she heldher own. I said, ‘That’s someone I’ve got to get to know.’”From her comments, Scowcroft realized that she possesseda profound understanding of Soviet ideology thatmatched his own brand of political realism. “She sawwhere we could cooperate and where not,” he recalled.Scowcroft was so bowled over by Rice that she immediatelycame to mind when he became national securityadvisor in the first Bush administration. Immediatelyafter the election in 1988, Scowcroft began selecting thestaff that would join him in the White House. “One of myfirst phone calls was to Condi Rice,” he said. Based onher scholarly expertise of the Soviet Union, he appointedher director of Soviet affairs at the National SecurityCouncil. Not only did she gain the respect of her col-leagues in this post, she quickly became a personal friendof both President and Barbara Bush.Just as his son would do a decade later, the elderGeorge Bush relied upon Condi to tutor him on Sovietmilitary and political history. During his term, in whichthe Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union dismantled, heforthrightly credited her for keeping him up to speed onthe subject, telling one head of state that she “tells meeverything I know about the Soviet Union.” After BushI’s term was over, Condi returned to her teaching job atStanford. She remained friendly with George and Barbara,and was often invited to their Houston home andtheir summerhouse in Kennebunkport, Maine.She met frequently with the former president as partof what Barbara called the “book group,” at times consistingof Condi, Scowcroft, and Bush, to help write a bookabout major global events that occurred during Bush’s administration.The work was begun during Bush’s firstyear out of office and included the input of many people.Condi made lengthy visits to Houston and Kennebunkportthroughout 1997 to help Bush with the book.The final product, A World Transformed, was publishedin 1998 and covers events that occurred from 1989to 1991, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapseof the Soviet Union and end of the Cold War, and theGulf War. In the introduction, Bush and Scowcroft state,“Some of the most dramatic and epochal events of thetwentieth century took place during the short period of1989 to 1991 . . . did we see what was coming when weentered office? No, we did not, nor could we haveplanned it. . . . Yet, in only three years—historically only amoment—the Cold War was over.” Bush credits Condifor contributing extensively to the book by helping theauthors scope out its content, refreshing their memoriesof particular details, and sharing research she had donefor Germany Unified and Europe Transformed, a book shecowrote with Philip Zelikow in 1995.During a visit with George and Barbara Bush inHouston in 1995, George asked Condi to make a call onhis son in Austin before going home. George W. was settlingin as the newly elected governor—his first politicaloffice (in 1978, he had made an unsuccessful bid for astate congressional seat). Perhaps George Sr. felt thatCondi could be an asset to his son down the road shouldhis political aspirations grow beyond the state of Texas.Or maybe he wanted to introduce them because theyshare an obsession for sports and carry their steely selfdisciplineinto their workout routines, a trademark of theathletic and competitive Bush clan. Such a commonthread would be a strong foundation for friendship andcreate a context in which they could discuss politics andworld affairs. Whatever his reasons, George suggestedCondi meet the new governor, and she agreed.The governor and Condi hit it off immediately, bondinglike any two sports fanatics. George W. was still aco-owner of the Texas Rangers, and they chatted aboutbaseball as they looked over George’s signed-baseballcollection, lovingly arranged in a set of glass display cases.Condi wowed George with stories about Willie Mays,who was a student in one of her mother’s classes at FairfieldIndustrial High School in Birmingham—real-lifestories about Mays that probably only a handful of peoplehave ever heard. For a baseball fan, it just doesn’t get anybetter than that. “Governor Bush was very impressed,”Condi recalled.During that visit, George W. gained not only Condi’sfriendship but her respect as well. “He’s really smart—and he’s also disciplined, which I admire,” she said.

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Excerpted from Condi: The Condoleezza Rice Story by Antonia Felix
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