Year In Review - The Top 15 Newsmakers of 2005 - #14

51-year old Condoleeza Rice became the US Secretary of State in January of this year after her predecessor, Colin Powell, left the Administration.

Born in Birmingham, AL, Rice graduated with a BA from the University of Denver at 19 and finished her doctorate at 26. She is seen as one of President Bush's most loyal lieutenants, and often plays good cop to the bad cop routine of Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. Speaking four languages in addition to being an accomplished pianist, Rice is the talk of much speculation concerning the next round of Republican presidential primaries. Along with former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona senator John McCain, she is seen as a front-runner despite her repeated denials of having any interest in the job of Commander-in-Chief. In fact, Rice says that her long-held ambition is not to be President but to be Commissioner of the National Football League.

Whatever the future holds, the current controversies over secret CIA camps in Europe, the practice of extraordinary rendition, and McCain's proposals to outright ban torture, pose challenges for Rice. In addition, developments in the Middle East and Iraq continue to lurk. Can she keep her reputation as a kinder, softer Republican foreign policy hawk while still carrying out the President's agenda?

My hunch is yes.