As a girl growing up in Birmingham, Ala., Condoleezza Rice sat quietly in her music class as the other children made a ruckus, blowing on their instruments and ignoring the teacher. "I'm waiting for my instructions," piped up little Condi. "And would you please write the music down for me?" she politely asked. She may have been trying to bring order from chaos, but to other children she could be "dainty," even "prissy." They recall that she walked almost on her tiptoes. Later, as a foreign-policy academic, Rice was not one for grand pronounce-ments, say her colleagues. Her work was precise and detailed, but not visionary. And as President George W. Bush's national-security adviser, she has been the target of some behind-the-scenes condescension, as staffers for rival policymakers dismiss her as a "lightweight."
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