While I agree that Rice is highly intelligent and a concert quality pianist to boot, IMHO and its sad to say, she is sick and perverted human being and a pathological liar. And as such, she makes a perfect tool for GWB&co.
Her initial political education was as a Kissinger style cold war warrior. And among two super powers, the rough checks and balances punches exchanged may be required, but when the same punches are thrown at small and powerless nations, what the strong man barely feels is a fatal blow to the weak. But after the Soviet Union fell and the USA became the lone standing super power, something almost unique in world history occurred because there was suddenly no balance of power at all. For the wise and compassionate such a time could allow unprecedented opportunity for world progress, but for others it was a invitation to steal and bully.
Her initial position in the GWB administration was as national security adviser. And she quickly allied herself to the neocon movement cabal of Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfawitz, and
Hadley and others. Sadly she absolutely ignored the threats imposed by terrorists despite warning from those knowledgeable when that was part of her job description. Instead she used her close trust with GWB to become de facto Secretary of State leaving Powell effectively neutered. When it came time for her to do her bit in selling the Iraq war, she totally lied by stating " The aluminium tubes COULD ONLY BE USED for nuclear weapons purposes." When in fact the CIA had already long before concluded that the more likely use was for barrage rockets. So Rice was either absolutely incompetent as a national security adviser or a bald faced liar, in charity one may conclude the former, but I think the latter.
When GWB won re election in 2004, a Colin Powell who had shown the weakness of actual integrity, he had to go because one good apple could spoil a whole barrel of rotten ones. And Condi then repeated the spoils and got his job. Since then, Condi Rice has shown a few abortive signs of actually becoming a visionary Secretary of State, but always
falls short of breaking from the neo con line or growing an iota of integrity.
Maybe there is something to be said about a near genius level IQ, but there is nothing good to be said about an evil genius. And that is the shoe that fits Condi IMHO. As far as I am concerned she is a psychopathic personality, missing something human and has has found some kindreds spirits also willing to try to bully everyone around them. And when that happens its a recipe for disaster and a accident waiting to happen. Absolute power corrupts absolutely does not quite fit the already corrupt.