What is it like to negotiate with Condoleezza Rice, the nation's top diplo-mat? She walks into the room, opens up a slim leather notebook and pulls out a couple of note cards imprinted with the words "Secretary of State." Each card contains five to 10 keywords, points taken from hours of preparation. Sometimes, the foreign diplomat she's meeting will respond with a halfhearted or unacceptable solution. Then comes the laser-like glare, the ramrod-straight back and the lowered voice. "You need to do better than that," she will say. "You can't sit here and tell me that's the best you can do." Then she will go at it until someone backs down. Usually, it's not Rice. "She won't take no for an answer," says one top adviser.
Working Hard to SucceedThe Secretary of State, 52, is not accustomed to failure. She played Beethoven on the piano at age 5, became an accomplished ice skater as a teen, skipped several grades in elementary school and finished college at age 19.
Rice was born in 1954, in Birmingham, Alabama. She grew up at a time when racism kept most African Americans out of top jobs. But her loving parents taught her that she could do anything she wanted to do. She planned to study music and to follow her passion for piano, which she still plays regularly. But a lecture by a professor caught her interest and changed her course. Rice decided to pursue political science and international studies, and became determined to make a difference in the world. She went on to do just that.
During the administration of President George H.W. Bush, the current President's father, she served on the National Security Council. She was the National Security Advisor from 2001 to 2005. And on January 26, 2005, Rice became the first African-American woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State. As the nation's top diplomat, she is in charge of the country's dealings with other countries.
A Jet-Setting LifeRice meets with world leaders at home and abroad. Last year, she took 18 trips to 33 countries, traveling a total of 247,603 miles. She has been asked to troubleshoot problems with Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea. Her success is judged by whether the U.S. can advance its interests without resorting to military force. Rice remains optimistic that issues--even Iran's desire to promote a nuclear program--can be resolved peacefully. "The President absolutely believes this can be done through diplomacy," Rice told TIME.
Another one of Rice's tough challenges is jump-starting the stalled Middle East peace process. She spent a week in the region in January doing a vital part of her job: listening. "It was a good opportunity to come and to listen to people as to how they saw the future," she says.
Despite years of difficult negotiations, she hopes that peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders can be the first steps toward major changes. World leaders have worked for decades to find a nonviolent solution to the land dispute between Israelis and Palestinians. Rice plans to host talks between Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas later this month.
Each morning, Rice wakes up at 4:45 and is at her desk by 6:30. Still, she manages to make time for things that are important to her outside of work. She keeps up with her piano playing, and she exercises daily, at home and on the road. An avid football fan, Rice planned to watch the Super Bowl with friends. The game marked the first time two African-American coaches led their teams to the Super Bowl. She was rooting for the Colts, but she wrote to both coaches to congratulate them on making history. She knows a little something about that.