Run for the White House? Rice begs to differ

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 03/16/2006 8:13 AM

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It was the main event, the talking point of the day's not so idle chatter to boast ""I was there"".

In attendance was a who's who of legislators, politicians, former Cabinet ministers, top diplomats of the past decade as well as academics, businesspeople, students and the rank and file of journalists.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's most public appearance here could have been her toughest outing, but it turned out to be anything but. Organizers barred journalists from asking questions.

As the invitees fidgeted in their seats, it also seemed like a mighty long wait for a 30-minute speech from America's top diplomat. Invitations required guests to arrive 90 minutes in advance. Compare that with the 30-minute window demanded for an address by the Indonesian president.

Unlike previous visits by high-level American officials, security at Wednesday's lecture, hosted by the Indonesian Council on World Affairs, was noticeably less ""bothersome"" though, perhaps a sign of a gentler American approach.

Many received notices of the event via facsimile, and with a quick wave of their invitations the guests briskly passed through two metal detectors at the Jakarta Convention Center. On hand were imposing U.S. Secret Service agents and hundreds of local security personnel, but it could be considered lax by usually ultra-security conscious Americans.

Former minister and ambassador to Washington Arifin Siregar introduced Rice as a perfect combination of high intellect and disarming charm, but it took time for the learned crowd to warm up to her predictable speech on America's global view.

Some began wondering if accusations by American critics of her being an average geopolitical thinker and overpromoted staffer were true. Even House Speaker Agung Laksono said there was nothing new in her speech and that there were more important things that Rice could have talked about.

It was not until her off-the-cuff answers to audience questions that the 51 year old displayed her high-impact presence.

Most impressive was her heartfelt homily on the unending yearning for human progress. Relating her upbringing in the segregated South, Rice spoke of overcoming racial discrimination, and recounted her family was barred from restaurants.

She gave an impassioned statement against accepting life's barriers, perhaps drawing from her own experience in overcoming racial and gender discrimination.

Yet there is one political fence she is, for the time being, hesitant to cross.

When an audience member cheekily asked if she would run for president if nominated in the next election, Rice did not mince words.

""No...Not likely in my lifetime!

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