AND SHE'S JUST THE WARM-UP ACT:

Rock star reception for Rice in India: Flash bulbs popping while discussing economics and security (Rosiland Jordan, March 16, 2005, MSNBC)

After nearly 16-and-a-half hours of flying time, Rice stepped off the Boeing 757 after sunset on Tuesday to a platform filled with still and video photographers in New Delhi, the American ambassador to India waiting on the tarmac to show her to her car, and various local dignitaries eager to shake her hand.

When asked by a visiting reporter why all the fuss, given that it was already after dinner and dark to boot, a local embassy staffer said, “Well, it’s the only picture the Indian media will get of Rice today!” And indeed, Rice’s descent from the jet made the front pages, including the Wednesday's editon of the Times of India.

The same reaction met Rice at her first press conference, alongside Minister of External Affairs Natwar Singh. Easily 100 local newspaper, radio and television journalists filled a grand colonial-era hall to hear Rice and Singh discuss their shared military, political and economic priorities.

While the overall reaction from the Indian press was one of frenzied photo snapping, with shutterbugs stumbling over each other to capture the moment, one reporter challenged Rice to declare her support for giving India a permanent seat on the Security Council.

Rice replied, “We’re at the beginning of discussions, about U.N. reform including, of course, U.N. Security Council reform….We have agreed to stay in touch with India and with others about how those discussions are going.”

Just wait'll the President visits and offers them France's seat ..

Posted by Orrin Judd at March 17, 2005 4:45 PM