America's Best Leaders

Con dolcezza, in Italian, means "with sweetness," a musical reference. This article says Rice, "a classically trained pianist, can indeed show a touch of southern charm in her meetings with foreign leaders." But she can also be tough:

(she) ...physically blocked burly Russian leader Boris Yeltsin from barging in on then President George H. W. Bush without an appointment.

Some things she did and I love her for doing it:

A devout Christian, she attended church services in Beijing, a not-so-veiled statement for religious freedom in the Communist country. And after the arrest of a democracy activist in Egypt, she canceled an expected visit. When she did travel to Egypt, Rice met with the activist and delivered perhaps the sternest public lecture ever by a visiting American diplomat on the need for Egypt to move toward full democracy.

And because she is so disciplined:

Rice awakens most mornings at 4:30 a.m., a legacy of her youth as a competitive figure skater, when she rose early to practice at the ice rink. Rice began her piano lessons at age 3 and still plays for pleasure, sometimes for a couple of hours on Sundays in her Watergate apartment. Brahms and Mozart are favorites. So is pro football, a personal passion for Rice, who also plays tennis.

Rice starts her days with an hour of exercise, then goes to the office by 7 a.m. She often takes her lunch at her desk on the seventh floor of State. A speed-reader, she has immersed herself in the details of the department's budget. Rice chairs staff meetings after 8 a.m. and again to wrap up the day at 6 p.m.