I wondered about the whole 'woman factor' as well. We'll have to wait and see how it plays out.

Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are all old issues for this administration. Ms. Rice is an expert on all things Russian. Bush is a genius in that he sees that Putin is the next big threat and is putting someone in place who knows how to prepare for the threat. Putin took $ in Oil-for-Food, sided with Saddam and is repressing business and people in his country.

You may be right about the importance of the Russian angle, but ...

Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan are all old issues for this administration.

... methinks you're crazy on that.

The relationship of the US with the Islamic world will be the defining foreign policy issue for a generation.

I admire her, but she's COLD. She exudes none of Bush's warmth, & comes off as a ruthlessly efficient bureaucrat.

On the other hand, the Tough Bitch is the only persona women have successfully used to obtain Head of State, because it overcomes the electorate's hesitancy to put a woman in charge of natl defense, which is why Hill will never be president, too much liberal baggage.

(Helen Clark, btw, is irrelevent)

The relationship of the US with the Islamic world will be the defining foreign policy issue for a generation.

Exactly. One of the things those nations/societies are going to have to learn to accept is that the voice of the United States can come from the mouth of an incredibly smart, powerful woman... one who might even be President some day.

(Well, we can hope.)

If they can learn that, then maybe there is hope for them.

I, however, have to disagree on the Russia angle. Russia's not so much of a threat as it is unabashedly interested in promoting its economic and regional security interests. Putin has shown incredible flexibility when it comes to cooperating with us, even in his own backyard, and even when what we want of him contradicts Russian foreign policy goals. Perhaps the best and most recent example of that is his surprising support for the US-Georgian position on Ajaria.

It's also worth mentioning that the US military received enormous help from Russia in setting up our military bases in Central Asia. We wouldn't have been able to get all our equipment and supplies in as quickly as we did without the use of their extensive rail system.

It certainly helps to have a Secretary of State who knows Russia because it is the major player in a large, and increasingly important, area of the world. Russia is on the periphery of our major area of concern and could potentially be an incredibly helpful ally--something that Condi could help make them. The next big threat? I just don't see them being more than an occasional pain in the ass (which they certainly are now from time to time).

I'm actually quite in favor of the ha! deal with this! aspect of it. One woman I met in India had just been moved there from Saudi Arabia by the State Department. Why? the Saudis would regularly refuse to meet with a woman. Good luck trying to refuse to meed with Rice...

You mean the Islamic countries were cool dealing with a black man for the past four years? Listen, we go with the person we think is best. (By "we" I mean the U.S.) The Islamic countries will have to deal with it. Used to be companies justified refusing to hire blacks on the ground that their customers wouldn't want to deal with them. I'm not saying the President couldn't legally make such a decision with his Sec of State. Of course he could. But a sensible President would say to himself, "F--- 'em if they can't take a joke."

The "woman" factor certainly didn't hurt Madeline Albright.

Ooops. Nevermind. That really isn't the best example, now is it?

Re: Rice running for office...
While professionally, she is fully qualified and would make a great president, methinks her marital status (single, no kids) might disqualify her in the minds of some Americans.

I disagree, azlibertarian. I think the only way a woman is going to make it to the VP or Presidency is to come across as a strong, independant, no-nonsense, person. People don't generally equate motherhood with those things.

Have you all forgotten M. Albright who found out she was Jewish when she was tapped for Secretary of State. They had to deal with her, so they did.

As for burkhas, I don't think our military women in Saudi Arabia should be forced to sit in the back of cars and wear where robes.

It's ridiculous. If their women agree to this nonsense, it's their business. No reason we should buy into it too.

As a former State officer, I'm concerned about her ability to tame the bureaucracy, too. That was something that Albright saw as far, far beneath her dignity. Her deputies shared the sentiment. If Rice gets herself some good deputies--preferably from outside of State--things might happen.

Adrianne: I probably know your friend, as I left Riyadh just a year ago. But I have to say that the women in my office had no problem meeting with Saudis at any time, including the most religious of the Imams. It's a matter of knowing how to do it. I was actually in New Delhi immediately before being assigned to Riyadh in late Sept. 2001. I infinitely prefer Riyadh to New Delhi as a place to work. You could actually get things done there, without running through the 9th Level of PC Hell.

Condi will be fine - if she can handle academic politics, she can handle State.

The model for Condi at State is not the NSA but rather Stanford. I think the president viewed her job at NSA as a refereeing job, and that she did. Ceaning house at Stanford I think shows she can be tough with a disfunctional organisation.