Condoleezza Rice
Political positions
Political positions
-------------------

Condoleezza Rice is often described as a [centrist](/wiki/Centrism "Centrism") or [moderate Republican](/wiki/Rockefeller_Republican "Rockefeller Republican"). [On The Issues](/wiki/On_the_Issues "On the Issues"), a non\-partisan organization which rates candidates based on their policy positions, considers Rice to be a centrist. She takes both liberal and conservative positions; she is [pro\-choice](/wiki/Pro-choice "Pro-choice") on abortion, supports [gun rights](/wiki/Right_to_keep_and_bear_arms "Right to keep and bear arms"), opposes [same\-sex marriage](/wiki/Same-sex_marriage "Same-sex marriage") but supports [civil unions](/wiki/Civil_union "Civil union"), and supports building oil pipelines such as the [Keystone XL pipeline](/wiki/Keystone_Pipeline "Keystone Pipeline").

### Terrorist activity

[thumb\|Rice meets with Afghan Foreign Minister [Rangin Dadfar Spanta](/wiki/Rangin_Dadfar_Spanta "Rangin Dadfar Spanta") to discuss anti\-terrorism efforts, 2006](/wiki/File:Rangin_Dadfar_Spanta_et_Condoleezza_Rice.jpg "Rangin Dadfar Spanta et Condoleezza Rice.jpg")

Rice's policy as Secretary of State viewed [counter\-terrorism](/wiki/Counter-terrorism "Counter-terrorism") as a matter of being preventative, and not merely punitive. In an interview on December 18, 2005, Rice stated: "We have to remember that in this war on terrorism, we're not talking about criminal activity where you can allow somebody to commit the crime and then you go back and you arrest them and you question them. If they succeed in committing their crime, then hundreds or indeed thousands of people die. That's why you have to prevent, and intelligence is the long pole in the tent in preventing attacks."

Rice has promoted the idea that counterterrorism involves not only confronting the governments and organizations that promote and condone terrorism, but also the ideologies that fuel terrorism. In a speech given on July 29, 2005, Rice asserted that "\[s]ecuring America from terrorist attack is more than a matter of law enforcement. We must also confront the ideology of hatred in foreign societies by supporting the universal hope of liberty and the inherent appeal of democracy."
[thumb\|Rice chats with a member of the [Saudi Royal Family](/wiki/House_of_Saud "House of Saud") after welcoming the new king [Salman of Saudi Arabia](/wiki/Salman_of_Saudi_Arabia "Salman of Saudi Arabia"), January 27, 2015](/wiki/File:Former_Secretary_Rice_Chats_With_a_Member_of_the_Saudi_Royal_Family.jpg "Former Secretary Rice Chats With a Member of the Saudi Royal Family.jpg")

In January 2005, during Bush's [second inaugural ceremonies](/wiki/Inauguration_Day "Inauguration Day"), Rice first used the term "[outposts of tyranny](/wiki/Outposts_of_tyranny "Outposts of tyranny")" to refer to countries Rice thought to threaten world peace and human rights. This term has been called a descendant of Bush's phrase, "[Axis of Evil](/wiki/Axis_of_Evil "Axis of Evil")", used to describe [Iraq](/wiki/Iraq "Iraq"), Iran and [North Korea](/wiki/North_Korea "North Korea"). She identified six such "outposts" in which she said the United States has a duty to foster freedom: Cuba, [Zimbabwe](/wiki/Zimbabwe "Zimbabwe"), Burma and [Belarus](/wiki/Belarus "Belarus"), as well as Iran and North Korea.

### Abortion

Rice said "If you go back to 2000 when I helped the president in the campaign. I said that I was, in effect, kind of [libertarian](/wiki/Libertarianism "Libertarianism") on this issue. And meaning by that, that I have been concerned about a government role in this issue. I am a strong proponent of parental choice—of parental notification. I am a strong proponent of a ban on late\-term abortion. These are all things that I think unite people and I think that that's where we should be. I've called myself at times mildly pro\-choice." She would not want the federal government "forcing its views on one side or the other." She did not want the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, *[Roe v. Wade](/wiki/Roe_v._Wade "Roe v. Wade")*, to be overturned.

Rice said she believes President Bush "has been in exactly the right place" on abortion, "which is we have to respect the culture of life and we have to try and bring people to have respect for it and make this as rare a circumstance as possible". However, she added that she has been "concerned about a government role" but has "tended to agree with those who do not favor federal funding for abortion, because I believe that those who hold a strong moral view on the other side should not be forced to fund" the procedure.

### Affirmative action

Rice has taken a centrist approach to "race and gender preferences" in [affirmative action](/wiki/Affirmative_action "Affirmative action") policies. She described affirmative action as being "still needed," but she does not support quotas.

### Female empowerment advocacy

In March 2014, Rice joined and appeared in video spots for the [Ban Bossy](/wiki/Ban_Bossy "Ban Bossy") campaign, a television and social media campaign designed to ban the word "bossy" from general use because of its harmful effect on young girls. Several video spots with other notable spokespersons including [Beyoncé](/wiki/Beyonc%C3%A9 "Beyoncé"), [Jennifer Garner](/wiki/Jennifer_Garner "Jennifer Garner") and others were produced along with a web site providing school training material, leadership tips, and an online pledge form to which visitors can promise not to use the word.

### Immigration

Condoleezza Rice supported the [comprehensive immigration](/wiki/Comprehensive_Immigration_Reform_Act_of_2006 "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006") plan backed by the Bush administration and shared that it was among her regrets that it did not pass through Congress. In 2014, Rice criticized the Obama administration from seeking to approve immigration reforms through executive action. In February 2017 Rice publicly announced her opposition to the Trump administration's [travel ban](/wiki/Trump_travel_ban "Trump travel ban").

### Gun rights

Rice says that she became a "Second Amendment absolutist" due to her experience of growing up in Birmingham and facing threats from the KKK. "Rice's fondness for the Second Amendment began while watching her father sit on the porch with a gun, ready to defend his family against the Klan's night riders."

### Same\-sex marriage and LGBT issues

While Rice does not support same\-sex marriage, she does support [civil unions](/wiki/Civil_union "Civil union"). In 2010, Rice stated that she believed "marriage is between a man and a woman ... But perhaps we will decide that there needs to be some way for people to express their desire to live together through civil union." When asked to select a view on a survey, Rice selected a response that said "Same\-sex couples should be allowed to form civil unions, but not marry in the traditional sense."

### Confederate monuments

In May 2017, Rice said she opposes the [removal of Confederate monuments and memorials](/wiki/Removal_of_Confederate_monuments_and_memorials "Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials") or the renaming of buildings named after Confederate generals. She argued, "If you forget your history, you're likely to repeat it. ... When you start wiping out your history, sanitizing your history to make you feel better, it's a bad thing."


Does Condoleezza Rice support allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions but not marry in the traditional sense?