The question about America's new secretary of state is: Will Condoleezza Rice remain one of the primo hawks in this administration, or will she become the top U.S. diplomat that her new role demands?

Rice's hardline past as national security adviser during President George W. Bush's first term speaks for itself. She was one of the most consistent voices in favor of pre-emptive war against Iraq, and she used her position to promote an American attack with scary warnings that Saddam Hussein had a "smoking gun" that would turn into a "mushroom cloud."

She was a go-it-alone unilateralist and demonstrated her disdain for many of the collective security treaties that the United States made in the post-World War II era.

In the lead-up to the Iraq war almost two years ago, there was hardly a Sunday talk show that she didn't use to promote the imminent U.S. invasion. Her basic spiel came down to her contention that Iraq posed a threat to the United States, even though we had a chokehold on Saddam with tight economic sanctions and bombings in the two no-fly zones. We have yet to hear any apologies from Rice for her mistaken prediction about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Nor will we. It's not in the nature of this administration to admit a mistake.

Earlier, Rice failed to heed warnings of a hijacking and plane attack against the United States just weeks before the 9/11 terror disaster. Gen. Henry H. Shelton, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of State, said she put terrorism "on the back burner."

Bush told a news conference this week that she would make a "fine, fine" secretary of state. Rice is described as the president's "closest confidante" on foreign affairs and there is no doubt that she speaks for the president when she talks about international issues.

Rice did not have an easy confirmation and won approval from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on a strict party-line vote after two days of tough questioning by Democrats on the panel.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., told her that her loyalty to the Bush administration to sell the war against Iraq had "overwhelmed your respect for truth."

Rice replied that she had "never, ever lost respect for the truth in the service of anything. It is not my nature. It is not my character." She accused Boxer of "impugning my credibility or my integrity."

This was a good try at the theory that a good offense is the best defense. No one had attacked her integrity, but her credibility certainly was fair game.

Rice clearly was not used to being grilled, an unaccustomed role she will have to learn because a Cabinet secretary is expected to testify before Congress from time to time and answer tough questions, almost always asked by members of the political party that doesn't occupy the White House.

The Senate confirmed her in an 85-13 vote.

When she took her oath of office earlier this week, Rice became the nation's 66th secretary of state, and the first black woman and the second woman to serve in that post.

She will make her first foreign trip as secretary of state when she visits Europe and the Middle East next week. One goal is to keep Israel and the Palestinians talking to each other.

At her inauguration, Rice said "history is calling us" to spread freedom throughout the world.

Let's hope she understands it can be done peacefully.

(Helen Thomas can be reached at the e-mail address hthomas@hearstdc.com).

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