Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State (2005–2009)
Secretary of State (2005–2009\)
-------------------------------

[thumb\|Rice signs official papers after receiving the oath of office during her ceremonial swearing in at the [Department of State](/wiki/United_States_Department_of_State "United States Department of State"). Watching are, from left, [Laura Bush](/wiki/Laura_Bush "Laura Bush"), Justice [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](/wiki/Ruth_Bader_Ginsburg "Ruth Bader Ginsburg"), President George W. Bush.](/wiki/File:RICEBUSHSIGN.jpg "RICEBUSHSIGN.jpg")
[thumb\|Condoleezza Rice visits [Governor General of Canada](/wiki/Governor_General_of_Canada "Governor General of Canada") [Michaëlle Jean](/wiki/Micha%C3%ABlle_Jean "Michaëlle Jean") in [Ottawa, Ontario](/wiki/Ottawa%2C_Ontario "Ottawa, Ontario").](/wiki/File:Condoleezza_Rice_and_Micha%C3%ABlle_Jean.jpg "Condoleezza Rice and Michaëlle Jean.jpg")

On November 16, 2004, Bush nominated Rice to be Secretary of State. On January 26, 2005, the Senate confirmed her nomination by a vote of 85–13\. The negative votes, the most cast against any nomination for Secretary of State since 1825, came from Senators who, according to Senator [Barbara Boxer](/wiki/Barbara_Boxer "Barbara Boxer"), wanted "to hold Dr. Rice and the Bush administration accountable for their failures in Iraq and in the war on terrorism." Their reasoning was that Rice had acted irresponsibly in equating Saddam's regime with [Islamist](/wiki/Islamism "Islamism") terrorism and some could not accept her previous record. Senator [Robert Byrd](/wiki/Robert_Byrd "Robert Byrd"), a prominent Senate institutionalist who was concerned with executive over\-reach, voted against Rice's appointment, indicating that she "has asserted that the President holds far more of the war power than the Constitution grants him."

As Secretary of State, Rice championed the expansion of democratic governments and other American values: "American values are universal." "An international order that reflects our values is the best guarantee of our enduring national interest..." Rice stated that the [September 11 attacks](/wiki/September_11_attacks "September 11 attacks") in 2001 were rooted in "oppression and despair" and so, the U.S. must advance democratic reform and support basic rights throughout the greater Middle East.

Rice also reformed and restructured the department, as well as U.S. diplomacy as a whole. "[Transformational Diplomacy](/wiki/Transformational_Diplomacy "Transformational Diplomacy")" is the goal that Rice describes as "work\[ing] with our many partners around the world ... \[and] build\[ing] and sustain\[ing] democratic, well\-governed states that will respond to the needs of their people and conduct themselves responsibly in the international system." 

[thumb\|Rice with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister [Saud al\-Faisal](/wiki/Saud_bin_Faisal_bin_Abdulaziz_Al_Saud "Saud bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud") in 2006](/wiki/File:2006_02_22_riyadh1_600al-Faisal-Rice.jpg "2006 02 22 riyadh1 600al-Faisal-Rice.jpg")
As Secretary of State, Rice traveled heavily and initiated many diplomatic efforts on behalf of the Bush administration; she holds the record for most miles logged in the position. Her diplomacy relied on strong presidential support and is considered to be the continuation of style defined by former Republican secretaries of state [Henry Kissinger](/wiki/Henry_Kissinger "Henry Kissinger") and James Baker.
[thumb\|right\|Condoleezza Rice speaks with [Vladimir Putin](/wiki/Vladimir_Putin "Vladimir Putin") during her April 2005 trip to Russia.](/wiki/File:Rice_and_Putin.jpg "Rice and Putin.jpg")


Who nominated Condoleezza Rice to be Secretary of State?