Home > War in the Persian Gulf > Condoleezza Rice Biography

Born November 14, 1954

Birmingham, Alabama

U.S. national security advisor during the 2003 Iraq War

"We're going to find the truth about what Saddam Hussein did with weapons of mass destruction, how he built his programs, how he concealed them."

Condoleezza Rice in an interview for National Public Radio.

Doctor Condoleezza Rice is the first woman to hold the office of U.S. national security advisor. She was appointed by President George W. Bush (see entry) and took office in January 2001. Rice played a key role in helping Bush draft a new American foreign policy following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. She also became one of the Bush administration's leading advocates for using military force to remove Saddam Hussein (see entry) from power in Iraq.

Grows up in the...