Mixed media: The woman filling Colin Powell's shoes

LOYALIST STANCE

BRITISH NEWSPAPER: She is completely trusted by Mr Bush, and considered virtual "family" by a political clan for whom loyalty is the supreme virtue. Often, the unmarried Ms Rice spends weekends as a guest of the Bushes at the Presidential retreat of Camp David. But in this closeness lies the danger. Mr Bush is averse to hearing points of view different from his own; the last thing he needs is another top adviser telling him what he wants to hear. In the run-up to the war, moreover, Ms Rice never challenged the dubious intelligence that formed the case for war. - The Independent

WEBSITE CONTRIBUTOR: This is precisely what I feared would happen. It is a disaster. Rice, whom I respect for her achievements academically, has proven herself to have no principles other than dogged loyalty for her own personal advancement. She is no diplomat and Secretary of State ought not be a "learn as you go" position. If she had true character she wouldn't accept the appointment. - Peter, Syracuse, NY, USA on BBC website

AMERICAN NEWSPAPER: So now Powell leaves the scene, to be replaced by Condoleezza Rice, a Bush loyalist. As national security adviser, Rice failed miserably at that job's central task: being the President's honest broker between Defense, State and the CIA to ensure Bush got the best advice. Her primary task at State apparently will be the same as Porter Goss' role at CIA: to strip the agency of those career professionals who had the guts to tell the White House things it didn't want to hear - unpleasant truths that it needed to hear. - Minneapolis Star Tribune

NEWS MAGAZINE: In reality, the biggest contrast between Rice and Powell is the use of their respective political skills. Powell deployed his charm with foreign officials, but could rarely travel overseas because he needed to stay in Washington to fight his corner. Rice should face no such need to cover her own back. Whether that frees her to travel more than Powell, and achieve more than Powell, is unclear. But Rice will find it hard to be as popular as Powell, either inside the State Department's headquarters or outside these shores in the world's capitals. - Newsweek on MSNBC

CHALLENGES AHEAD

MIDDLE EAST VIEW: Rice was also one of the few in the US Administration who advocated that Muslim societies were not adverse to democracy, freedom and the rule of law. As a US secretary of state, she would need to emphasise the rule of law over security as a basis for solving the Middle East's many problems. Born and raised under the shadow of racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama, Rice has no excuse for not recognising the vital importance of justice. This, then, is Rice's challenge: to draw on her experience as a black American to change US foreign policy from the window-dressing of rhetoric to the merchandise of justice actually exported. - Daily Star, Lebanon

INDIAN WELCOME: Rice is widely believed to be better disposed towards India than Powell, who was easily taken in by the perceived exigencies of promoting close ties with Pakistan even at the risk of alienating India. But because of September 11, the Administration's initial zeal to fast-forward ties with India was relegated to the background as the Powell-led State Department amplified Pakistan's importance while masking its role in planting the seeds of terror. Analysts now expect Indo-US ties to get better traction under Rice. - Times of India

POLITICAL WEBSITE: Condoleezza Rice lacks the qualifications that a President John Kerry would desire for a Secretary of State: an ability to simultaneously occupy opposite sides of all issues until hindsight reveals which position was least subject to criticism. She has the vision to see long-term benefits through the lens of short-term challenges. Rice was no stranger to adversity during her formative years. She was able to envision a future of liberty despite being forced to view it through a lens of harsh oppression. She understands what Kerry, Kofi Annan and Jacques Chirac do not: That liberty is the foundation of stability rather than vice-versa. - http://polisat.com

AUSTRALIAN OPINION: President George Bush's nomination of Condoleezza Rice, as Secretary of State puts a more honest face on American foreign policy. What the world sees - and hears - from Dr Rice is more likely to be what it will get. Dr Rice will tell it like it is. Dr Rice's thinking is in line with the mainstream within the Bush Administration, while Mr Powell too often found himself at odds with the prevailing view. She is personally close to Mr Bush - he calls her "Condi" - where the President appeared to hold Mr Powell at a distance. Dr Rice will articulate US foreign policy with clarity and forthrightness. - Sydney Morning Herald