AMAZING STORY
Condoleezza Rice: No Higher Honor
By Kristi Watts
The 700 Club
CBN.com- Kristi Watts: “So the first time we met was about a year ago when you were talking about your book Extraordinary Ordinary People”.
Dr. Condoleezza Rice: “Right.”
Kristi: “You really talked about your parent and the influence they had in your life and in your career. Your new book, “No Higher Honor,” you talk about your dad and how you came to a crossroad.”
Dr. Rice: “In really one of the great ironies, my father became very ill just before I was to go to Washington when now President elect Bush said that he wanted me to become National Security Advisor. I thought. I can’t do this. I can’t leave my father. I had that conversation with then President elect Bush. And, he said, “I’m not asking you to leave your dad, but I need you in Washington.” We worked out some crazy idea I would come back every two weeks to California – probably unworkable. My father died on Dec. 24th, and that was just a few days before I would leave for Washington. He knew that I was going to become National Security Advisor. But, I’ll never forget that last conversation with him. I called him from a friend’s house and I said, “How are you?” He said, “well I’m going home.” And I said, “Daddy you are at home.” He said, “No I’m going home.” And it suddenly dawned on me this man of God, this faithful man for all these years was saying to me that the Lord had called him home.”
Kristi : “Your dad was a registered Republican.”
Dr. Rice: “In those days they had what was called a ‘poll test’ in order for people to register to vote. My father a big dark-skinned man went to vote, and the (precinct captain) said, “how many beans are in this jar?” Of course, no one could count. My father was really devastated (he wasn’t allowed to vote). This elder in his church said, “oh Reverend, I’ll tell you how to get registered to vote.” He said, you go down there and there’s a clerk. She’s a republican. She’s trying to build the party. If anybody will say they’re a republican she’ll register them.”
Kristi: “Is that why you are a Republican?”
Dr. Rice: “I went through a long journey towards being a Republican. I actually registered as a democrat when I first could vote in 1976 - the first presidential campaign for me. Jimmy Carter was the reconciliation of the North and the South. But, then I was very disturbed by the Soviet onslaught when the Soviet union invaded Afghanistan and our only decision was to boycott the Olympics? I thought, “We need somebody who understands power.” And, I voted for Ronald Reagan.” A couple years I became a Republican, and I never really looked back. So it was foreign policy initially that brought me to the party, “peace through strength” as President Reagan used to say.”
Kristi: “Let’s talk about what’s going on in the world today, especially in the Middle East. Now, with Muammar Qaddafi, in your book you say that we had to remove weapons from him, in fact, weapons where taken away from him. And there was not a doubt in your mind that he would have used them.”
Dr. Rice: “Absolutely. We were fortunate that after the invasion of Iraq, Muammar Qaddafi (Libya) decided that weapons of mass destruction were really not worth it. We disarmed him. It may interest people to know that we actually carted back most of his most dangerous weapons to Oakridge, Tennessee where they were dismantled. So he didn’t have those weapons of mass destruction when the revolution took place in Libya, and I’m glad that he didn’t because I have no doubt that he would have probably used them, sitting in that bunker for the last time.”
Kristi: “Let’s talk about Iran. Is there a fear, is there something in you that says “if he builds up these nuclear weapons he’s definitely going to use them.” Do you think that?”
Dr. Rice : “Well I worry about Iran. It’s probably the most dangerous single country in the world. It’s also a regime that is the poster child for state sponsorship of terrorism. They’ve got tentacles of terrorism all over the world and they’re seeking a nuclear weapon. A nuclear weapon in Iran would be unimaginable danger. WE have to stop it. The President of the US cannot take military force off the table.”
Kristi: “I heard in one interview you said that the position of National Security Advisor and Secretary of State felt like the inbox. All problems came to you. All ‘intel’ came to you. When you have such knowledge of what’s going on in the world today. How do you get to the point where you’re not walking in fear?”
Dr. Rice: “Well, in fact right after 9/11 I think we were all fearful. We were fearful of the next attack. We were sure it was coming. There was an anthrax scare. I describe in the book a botulin toxin scare, radiological smallpox. So yes, it was pretty scary. But several things get you through. First of all, faith. I remember Abraham Lincoln is said to have said, “When he had no where else to go but his knees, he understood the power of faith and prayer. It was good to be around other people who had the same faith. President Bush is a person of faith, and it helped working with people like that.”
Kristi: “There was recently an article: “It said, “Condoleezza Rice shares Christian faith with students, advices them to trust in the Holy Spirit.”
Dr. Rice : “Yes.”
Kristi : “I love that you were candid. Not just about your faith but the role that the Holy Spirit has in your life. Let’s talk about that.”
Dr.Rice: “I grew up in a family where faith was at the center of everything. It wasn’t that you thought about your faith as something out here, it was integral to you. I was taught early that we’d been given a Holy Spirit to stay with us until the day that he returns. That for me had always been the most comforting part of our religious tradition.
Kristi: “Did that also help you with making decisions? Would you pray, Lord tell me where to go, Tell me what to say, Tell me how to handle this?”
Dr. Rice: “I would say, “Lord, guide my steps today? And that’s what my morning prayer, just ‘guide my steps today. “
Kristi: “You are known not just as a woman of poise, not just as a woman of brilliance but also, “firsts”. But, when you are the first, you’re also the first one to encounter walls, and mindsets and obstacles. So how did you deal with that? How do you deal with that?”
Dr. Rice: “Well the first thing is that when you are a “first” you need to forget that you’re the first. Give other people the benefit of the doubt. So it’s all too easy to look around and think, ‘they’re reacting because I’m a woman. They’re reacting that way because I’m black.” Generally you just end up driving up your own blood pressure. If you let someone treat you badly because you are a woman or you are black, it’s your fault not theirs. You have plenty of ammunition in your arsenal to back someone down who’s treating you badly. I’m not much given to victimhood. I really do think that my parent taught me that you may not be able to control your circumstances but you can control your response to your circumstances. And if you always keep that in mind you’ll let people’s prejudices be their problem, not yours.”
Kristi: “You are teaching me!” I forgot the next question because I’m sitting here like, “I have to get that note down. At CBN we’re always praying for our nation, praying for your leaders. What are maybe some to the top three areas within our world that we need to focus on to pray about?”
Dr. Rice: “We first and foremost need to pray that the harm and the hurt that people are doing to each other will somehow resolve and that the Lord will be in some of these terrible places. I remember going into a refugee camp in Darfur and I’d never seen anything like it. I went into a tent with these women who had been raped, just trying to get firewood, trying to get water. I thought, ‘you know, somehow we have to pray that the Lord can be in those places too. Secondly, that we remain compassionate as a nation. We’re powerful country, but we are at our best when we are compassionate people. And, finally we need to pray for our leaders that they will have wisdom. That they will have judgment, that they will see that this is a special and great country that has special responsibilities.”
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