Condoleezza Rice
Terrorism
### Terrorism

During the summer of 2001, Rice met with [CIA](/wiki/CIA "CIA") director [George Tenet](/wiki/George_Tenet "George Tenet") to discuss the possibilities and prevention of terrorist attacks on American targets. On July 10, 2001, Rice met with Tenet in what he referred to as an "emergency meeting" held at the White House at Tenet's request to brief Rice and the NSC staff about the potential threat of an impending [al Qaeda](/wiki/Al_Qaeda "Al Qaeda") attack. Rice responded by asking Tenet to give a presentation on the matter to Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and [Attorney General](/wiki/United_States_Attorney_General "United States Attorney General") [John Ashcroft](/wiki/John_Ashcroft "John Ashcroft").

Rice characterized the August 6, 2001, [President's Daily Brief](/wiki/President%27s_Daily_Brief "President's Daily Brief") *[Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US](/wiki/Bin_Ladin_Determined_To_Strike_in_US "Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US")* as historical information. Rice indicated "It was information based on old reporting." Sean Wilentz of [*Salon* magazine](/wiki/Salon_magazine "Salon magazine") suggested that the PDB contained current information based on continuing investigations, including that Bin Laden wanted to "bring the fighting to America." On September 11, 2001, Rice was scheduled to outline a new national security policy that included missile defense as a cornerstone and played down the threat of stateless terrorism.
[thumb\|President Bush addresses the media at the Pentagon on September 17, 2001](/wiki/File:President_George_W._Bush_addresses_the_media_at_the_Pentagon_on_Sept._17%2C_2001.jpg "President George W. Bush addresses the media at the Pentagon on Sept. 17, 2001.jpg")

When asked in 2006 about the July 2001 meeting, Rice asserted she did not recall the specific meeting, commenting that she had met *repeatedly* with Tenet that summer about terrorist threats. Moreover, she stated that it was "incomprehensible" to her that she had ignored terrorist threats two months before the [September 11 attacks](/wiki/September_11_attacks "September 11 attacks").

In 2003, Rice received the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official, an award given out annually by [Jefferson Awards](/wiki/Jefferson_Awards_for_Public_Service "Jefferson Awards for Public Service").

In August 2010, Rice received the U.S. Air Force Academy's 2009 Thomas D. White National Defense Award for contributions to the defense and security of the United States.


What award did Rice receive in 2003 for public service?