Excerpts of Condoleezza Rice on CBS' "Sunday Morning"
CONDOLEEZZA RICE DISCUSSES HER SHOUTING MATCHES WITH DONALD RUMSFELD
THIS WEEKEND ON CBS “SUNDAY MORNING”
With less than a month remaining in George W. Bush's presidency, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice still adamantly defends the administration's decision to send U.S. troops into Iraq. In an interview this weekend on CBS SUNDAY MORNING (9:00 AM – 10:30 AM ET), Rice tells correspondent Rita Braver that “It's not a popularity contest. It is to lay a foundation for where all this will come out. I know that your business is to report today's headlines and I respect that…but my business is to lay a foundation for history's judgment.”
Rice also insists that “we've built a lot of very good relationships around the world that are serving us very well in some of the most difficult challenges of all time.”
However, these decisions were not made without heavy debate. When asked if she were able to avoid shouting matches with then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Rice replies, “Oh, I won't say that. But we were all nice friends afterwards because people who get to these positions obviously are very tough minded and can advocate very strongly for what they believe.” Rice also explains, “I've not won every internal debate, but one thing that you have to understand is they are debates. They're not fights to the death between people.”
Despite her rigorous schedule and claims that she's a workaholic, Rice still takes time to enjoy the finer things in life. A trained concert pianist, she recently played before Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. Claiming she's “not a Type A person,” she points out that she loves to spend time with family and friends, watch football and play golf. But when asked if she ever sleeps in and doesn't make the bed, Rice responds with laughter, “No! That's where I draw the line.”
Rand Morrison is the executive producer OF SUNDAY MORNING.
