Rice defends U.S. over Mideast cease-fire
Sticking to a position that has complicated relations with allies, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended the United States’ insistence on a lasting Middle East cease-fire that addresses deep-seeded conflicts on the Lebanon-Israeli border. Even with the issue consuming her agenda, Rice turns her attention Thursday to a long-scheduled meeting on the other side of the globe that’s certain to address another festering diplomatic problem for the United States: North Korea. Full Story