Nomination of Dr. Condoleezza Rice to be Secretary of State

Nomination of Dr. Condoleezza Rice to be Secretary of State FULL STREAMING VIDEO

Opening Statements for Tuesday, January 18, 2005

U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Dick Lugar made the following opening statement at the hearing on the nomination of Dr. Condoleezza Rice to be Secretary of State:

The Committee on Foreign Relations meets today to consider the nomination of Dr. Condoleezza Rice to be Secretary of State. We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Rice to the Committee. As a result of her distinguished service as National Security Advisor to President Bush and her earlier assignments on the NSC, she is well known to many members of this Committee. We admire her accomplishments, and we are particularly thankful for the cooperation that she has provided to this Committee.

The enormously complex job before Dr. Rice will require all of her talents and experience. American credibility in the world, progress in the war on terrorism, and our relationships with our allies will be greatly affected by the Secretary of State’s actions and the effectiveness of the State Department in the coming years. Dr. Rice is highly qualified to meet these challenges. We recognize the deep personal commitment necessary to undertake this difficult assignment, and we are grateful that a leader of her stature is willing to step forward.

The Secretary of State serves as the President’s top foreign policy advisor, as our nation’s most visible emissary to the rest of the world, and as manager of one of the most important Departments in our government. Any one of these jobs would be a challenge for even the most talented public servant. But the Secretary of State, at this critical time in our history, must excel at all three roles.

Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Chairman Richard G. Lugar FULL TEXT in PDF format

Opening Statement by Dr. Condoleezza Rice Senate Foreign Relations Committee January 18, 2005

Thank you Chairman Lugar, Senator Biden, and Members of the Committee. And let me also thank Senator Dianne Feinstein who, as a fellow Californian, I have long admired as a leader on behalf of our state and our nation.

Mr. Chairman, members of the Committee, it is an honor to be nominated to lead the State Department at this critical time – a time of challenge and hope and opportunity for America, and for the entire world.

September 11th, 2001 was a defining moment for our nation and the world. Under the vision and leadership of President Bush, our nation has risen to meet the challenges of our time: fighting tyranny and terror, and securing the blessings of freedom and prosperity for a new generation. The work that America and our allies have undertaken, and the sacrifices we have made, have been difficult … and necessary … and right. Now is the time to build on these achievements … to make the world safer, and to make the world more free. We must use American diplomacy to help create a balance of power in the world that favors freedom. And the time for diplomacy is now.

Opening Statement by Dr. Condoleezza Rice
FULL TEXT in PDF format.