Rice underscores Bolton support
Secretary of state also talks about shopping, marriage
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On the eve of a crucial Senate committee vote, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice underscored her support for John R. Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, saying she urged President Bush to nominate him.
"John Bolton is eminently qualified for this job. And I'm the one who talked to the president about having John do this," Rice said on CNN's "Larry King Live," which was pre-taped for airing Wednesday night.
"When we were looking for a U.N. ambassador, I thought that John, with whom I'd had a lot of experience in his diplomacy over the last four years, would be a strong voice at the U.N.," she said.
The White House has expressed optimism that Bolton will win the endorsement of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Its chairman, Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, predicted Wednesday that the committee, which Republicans control 10-8, would send Bolton's nomination to the full Senate.
The committee put off a scheduled vote on Bolton's nomination last month after a Republican member, Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio, joined Democrats in asking for more time to investigate allegations about the Bolton's conduct. (Full story)
Democrats oppose Bolton's nomination and have criticized the State Department for failing to provide all requested documents related to questions of whether Bolton intimidated employees. (Full story)
Rice dismissed complaints aired at Bolton's nomination hearings that he tried to get intelligence analysts who disagreed with him fired or reassigned. Bolton also has been criticized for expressing negative views of the United Nations.
"Yes, he's been critical of the United Nations from time to time," Rice said. "But in some ways that is a great benefit because -- at a time when the U.N. is undergoing a considerable discussion about reform, looking at what needs to be done -- it's a good thing to have somebody who's thought both about the good and the bad at the U.N."
"I can tell you that there are a lot of people who worked for John Bolton who are inspired by him and who are intensely loyal to him," she said. "John is hard-charging; there is no doubt about that. But he has been very successful in managing people."
Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, however, often clashed with Bolton, according to a close aide to former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Armitage also restricted Bolton's public speaking unless his comments were personally cleared by him, Larry Wilkerson told the Foreign Relations Committee's staff. (Full story)
Rice touched on other serious issues, such as the possible development of nuclear weapons by North Korea and the status of Middle East politics, but she also revealed some of her personal side.
She admitted she loves to shop, saying she bought the skirt and boots that she was wearing on a recent visit to Germany.
A minister's daughter from Alabama, Rice said she acquired a love for shopping on childhood outings with her mother.
"My father would go to work on his sermons on Saturday morning, and my mother and I would head downtown to go shopping," she said.
Rice said that when she leaves Washington, she intends to return to Stanford University. When she left Stanford in 1999, she was chief budget and academic officer, and had been on the faculty since 1981.
Asked about the possibility of marrying, the 50-year-old Rice said she hasn't met the right person yet.
"It doesn't mean it won't happen some day," she said. "But I'm a deeply religious person, and my life has, I think, unfolded as it was supposed to."
In response to a question about being open to "Mr. Right," she laughed and said, "I don't have much time right now, but sure. Who wouldn't be?"
