Person of Interest

Condi's Second Act

Can she become the Bush administration's sole survivor?

The Bush brand is a political scarlet letter, but might Condoleezza Rice escape its burn? A new Der Spiegel article suggests that Rice may be the only person to escape the Bush White House with her career intact—odd, given that, “If there is anyone, besides Bush, who ought to be held accountable for the failings of the current administration, it is Rice.” She has been his closest confidant and never publicly dissented from his line, and yet she “was never as unpopular or hated as her boss.” Author Marc Hujer sees this as a result of Rice’s unique biography and her role as chief “empathizer” with foreign people in the Bush administration. Also, we learn about her workout routine. “She works her biceps, her back and her abdominal muscles. … Almost out of breath, she orders [her trainer] to stop counting. ‘I can count for myself,’ she barks.”