WASHINGTON — It was 5 a.m., but the phone didn't awaken Condoleezza Rice. Fresh off the treadmill, sweaty in a Stanford University T-shirt, she sat down to talk to President Bush, who was calling about the standoff with China.
Rice's workout, a morning ritual, was wedged in between a few hours' sleep and a phone call from Bush the previous night, just after he talked with Secretary of State Colin Powell about efforts to secure the release of the 24 Navy plane crew members.
America's first female national security advisor clearly has the president's ear.
"My job, really, is to help make sure the government is speaking with one voice," Rice said last week during a brief telephone interview aboard Air Force One as it nosed toward Milwaukee, where Bush was throwing out the first pitch of the Brewers' home opener. By midnight, Rice was being whisked away on Marine One for a weekend at Camp David.
"It's a great job. I'm actually having fun," said Rice, who is 46. For someone who does what I do in international relations, every day is exciting."
On typical workdays, Rice heads to work from her Watergate apartment as the sun rises. By 7:15 a.m., she is having a conference call with Powell and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. While Rice did not aggrandize her role alongside the two Cabinet secretaries, it is obvious that Bush has done most of his talking about China to her.
"I'll see the president several times during the day, just to keep him updated," Rice said. "I just walk down to the Oval."
Sandy Berger, national security advisor under President Clinton, said Rice plays a very important role: The cooler head that prevails.
"When you have a national security team with personalities as strong as Powell's and Rumsfeld's, it's important that there be someone in the middle that coordinates and makes sure everyone is on the same page," Berger said. "I don't think she is going to be anybody's second fiddle. . . . (Bush) clearly believes she is committed to advancing his agenda and doesn't have her own agenda."
Rice is a fixture at Bush's side in strategy sessions and meetings with other heads of state. Last week, as Bush fielded reporters' questions on Russia and the Middle East, Rice watched intently from her seat nearby but said nothing. The barest hint of a smile played across her face.
