Condoleeza Rice
November 14, 1954
Birmingham, Alabama
Ethnicity: 51% African (Tikar people of The Republic of Cameroon)
40% European
9% Asian/Native American
Religion: Christian/Presbyterian
Provost: Stanford University (1993-1999)
20th US National Security Advisor (Jan 2001 - Jan 2005)
66th US Secretary of State (Jan 2005 - Jan 2009)
Former Democrat - Current Republican
Before beginning, I must disclaim up front that my thoughts and feelings about Condoleezza Rice are mixed and confused. I don't know how to feel about her because I feel everything about her - everything good - everything bad. Ms Rice, As an immensely accomplished and demonstrated intellect, I must respect her. Add to that, the fact that all of Condoleezza's accomplishments are those of a woman from a time when the glass cieling was made of diamond and most freedoms for minorities were like new shoes that hadn't yet been broken in, and what you have is a modern marvel but that isn't all she has to offer. Condoleezza is also a talented musician and respected business person. She is a diversity of talent/skill/accomplishments in and of herself. On top of everything else, she has the nerve to also be beautiful. By contrast however, she is a hard core Republican - one of those who stand behind not only the Republican social views but their military/war policies: the "Bush Doctrine" as well. She is a social elitist who, like the Bill Cosby's of the world, view the plight of the modern day African American through the lens of her own success.
Ms Rice is like an intellectual professional athlete. It's difficult for a professional athlete to understand why everyone else gets winded when trying to run the same hundred yards they run several times before getting close to being winded. The fact is that a professional athlete can get so used to being capable of doing what he/she does that they forget that training and skill is only a part of the formula that makes them possible. To be a great athlete, it's not enough that you train every day; it's not enough that you maintain a proper diet; it's not enough that you study and master your sport. Talent for sport and the physical prowess to accomplish greatness are birth rites - not acquirable by any amount of training or determination one invests into the endeavor. I said all of this to make the point that people like Condoleezza Rice have swallowed too much of the Republican "boot-straps" Kool-Aide and have failed to realize that not everyone is the athlete that they themselves are. The Republican position not only belittles the less fortunate (in talent and opportunity) but their selves as well in that it doesn't consider that what they have accomplished is the result of exceptional personal greatness. The difference between the Republican elite and the Democratic elite is that the Republican elite seem to be of the mind that they are no different from the least fortunate of us and that any of us can attain the same levels of success with enough effort, while their Democratic counterparts espouse a belief that some people are simply stronger than others; some are more driven than others; some are more intelligent than others; and some are more fortunate than others. It is especially ugly on a woman of color to hold to the Republican position on this issue given the history of ethnic minorities in this country and I'm sure that's one of the things that upsets me about Condoleezza Rice.
Her political views not withstanding, Ms. Rice has one hell of a life story but let's answer the easy questions upfront. One thing many people ask about her often, myself included - being one of those who find her so attractive, is if she's been married, has kids or who is/has she dated? She is not now and has not ever been married and does not have children. The only person it is known as a matter of fact that she dated was Rick Upchurch, a former NFL football player to whom Condoleezza was engaged in the 1970's. She hasn't been seen in public dating anyone since and she hasn't mentioned anyone by name as a suitor. The status of her romantic life is simply unknown and well concealed but I would like to say that I am immensely disappointed at the thought of a woman like that going untouched and unloved for any period of time and even worse, not procreating - ending the prospect of further evolution of a brilliant mind. I find it odd that she and Upchurch didn't work out because like me, he's born of the zodiac of Taurus and Condoleezza's a Scorpio - compatible signs (especially sexually). The Taurus' issue with Scorpio is usually the Scorpio's promiscuous nature but Condoleezza is nothing if not conservative in all ways, it appears. I've often wondered if she was a closeted lesbian who, for the sake of her career, didn't want to reveal the truth about her sexuality. There are rumors in some circles that she is the mistress to a fellow or two - George W. Bush being the leading suspect. It's hard to know with a Scorpio because while the female Scorpios are typically social conservatives, they are often sexual liberals. Let's not speculate too much about her romantic life because it would be just that - speculation. Let's delve into some hard facts about this accomplished woman.
Condi, as she is affectionately called by her former boss, George W. Bush, showed signs of her advanced mind at the early age of three, when she began to learn the French language, ballet dancing and figure skating. I don't know about you but I can't even remember being 3 years old and she was already knocking out some high school courses. At the age of 15, she added to her studies, classical piano.
She attended and all girls Catholic high school before heading off to the University of Denver where she initially majored in music and later changed her major to politics. Being in a girls only high school might have served to keep her focused on her studies and might have either fostered a strong ability to control her sexual urges or developed an interest in women within her. Her father was an assistant dean at the university which might have served to keep her from getting as loose as her college classmates. She was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa society (and honors society) while at the University of Denver and graduated with her Bachelor's of Arts in Political Science and also, cum laude. She also joined the Alpha Chi Omega (Gamma Delta chapter) sorority at the same university. From there she headed off to the University of Notre Dame, where she obtained her Master's degree in political science. Later, she would study the Russian language at the Moscow State University. She returned to the University of Denver to obtain her Ph.D. from its Josef Korbel School of Internal Studies - yep, you may call her Dr. Rice, if you please.
After college, her first big political position was as an intern at the State Department's Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs during the Jimmy Carter administration. From this point on, her life and career was like a snowball rolling up hill - the higher up she went, the more accolades, rewards and records she'd break. Her Wikipedia page is worth a look, there's no reason for me to enumerate every detail already noted there. It should suffice to say that this is an extremely educated woman who's had a remarkable business and political career.
GALLERY
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