Pat Dollard | Young Americans

This will probably be the most awkward dinner date in history. And I(A Chinaman) once had a date with a 300 pound Japanese Nazi named Sparkle.

WASHINGTON—Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be hosting her would-be successor, Hillary Rodham Clinton, for dinner at Ms. Rice’s Watergate apartment this evening, according to Democratic transition aides.

Mrs. Clinton is visiting the State Department today for the first time since being nominated Secretary of State, the officials said. While there, she is meeting with high-ranking career State Department employees, and with members of the transition team that is conducting the review of the State Department.

Ms. Rice, who just returned to Washington from a trip to India and Pakistan, has told reporters that she thinks Mrs. Clinton will do a great job as her successor.

The dinner meeting between the two, first reported by MSNBC, is interesting because just three years ago Washington was abuzz with rumors that they could end up running against each other for President. “Condi vs. Hillary” spoof videos abounded on the Internet.

Ms. Rice never seriously considered tossing her hat into the ring for the Republican nomination, her aides said, and eventually the speculation died down. The two women have seen each other from time to time at various functions; the last time they met was three weeks ago in New York, at a Glamour Magazine awards dinner for notable women, when they chatted backstage.
Mrs. Clinton, during the campaign, was sharply critical of Bush Administration foreign policy, including the conduct of the Iraq war.