SECRETARY RICE: It's a pleasure to be with you.

QUESTION: Let me begin this way. Now isn't it, Madame Secretary, a bit odd who you're here with tonight, Congressman Rangel, who is perhaps one of the strongest critics of the Bush Administration and yet, you two are together? Explain this alliance for me.

SECRETARY RICE: Well, first of all, I don't think we're an odd couple at all. I think it's only natural that we would be here because we both care so much about America. And I have long been an admirer of Congressman Rangel's story, of the way that he came from here in Harlem and ended up serving our country bravely in Korea, and then going on to go to law school and then becoming one of the most powerful congressmen in the United States. It's a great American story.

And what I do as Secretary of State is I go out to represent this great country and I very often try to tell people what America is really, and this story is what America is really about. So we both care greatly about this country. We're not an odd couple.

QUESTION: Congressman?

CONGRESSMAN RANGEL: Listen, this is the greatest country in the world and the fact that a guy from Lenox Avenue could achieve and being interviewed by a guy that really educates is the only reason you're interviewing us. It's that glue that allows us to take different paths of this democracy to say how we could be better. And the Secretary has been a living example as to the opportunity, but more than that, when I was called into her office, I thought it was the Middle East, I thought it was trade and she was telling me the dream that she had for minority kids when she was at Stanford University.

And so we made a pact then; she'll be in Harlem, I'll be in California -- but what she has done today, I think, is going to be recorded in history and I don't take that loosely. She spoke with some private sector CEOs and shared with them that she thought that poverty and lack of education were the most serious national security problems that we've had and that was a powerful message.

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, I've often heard your story in terms of growing up in Alabama and studying Russian. And education -- one thing I think, perhaps, you two are on the world stage, but the one thing that we share in common, as well as with the principal that's here at the school, all of us, education -- talk to me for a moment, Madame Secretary. I mean, you have made history in terms of an African American female Secretary of State. What role has education played in your life and at this stage, why have you decided to bring this message to the Harlems of the United States?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, education played a central role in my life and I was lucky; I had parents who cared about education. As I said, we visited college campuses like most people visited national parks. My parents really wanted me to go to college and I did. And so I was fortunate to have that background. But I know too, when I talked to the Congressman, I did say education or the lack thereof is either going to be our national security asset or it's going to be a great threat to our national security.

Because what is America really about? America -- what really holds us together as Americans is that we believe we have limitless horizons. We believe that you can come from Lenox Avenue and become chairman of Ways and Means. We believe that you can come from segregated Birmingham, Alabama and become Secretary of State. We really do believe that there should be not where you're coming from, but where you're going. And unless our education system can keep up with our children's dreams and give them the opportunities and the training and the education that we need, we're going to lose that glue that keeps this great multiethnic society together.

And you know, even in the hardest times when our people were still in slavery, they were trying to learn to read. And it was interesting that one of the greatest defenses that you could make was to teach a slave to read. Now why was that the case? Because when you teach people to read, they have horizons well beyond their current circumstances. And so we have a heritage as African Americans, of people who struggled to read in slavery, people who struggled to go through segregated schools, people who went to historically black colleges and got educated. We have to preserve that legacy and make sure that these kids are given every opportunity or we're not going to be a very great country for very much longer.

CONGRESSMAN RANGEL: She has broadened the gap that unfortunately, a lot of poor kids that come from communities like this all over the world -- and that is they can't dream. You can't go to sleep at night and dream something after if you have no idea that it exists or the -- one of the most powerful people in the world to look like you, it shatters this inability to dream. They can dream any darn thing they want now and she didn't come from wealthy parents. They can really perceive; that if she did it, it can be done.

And this is not just for Harriet Tubman. This is for our country and I truly believe that other countries can look and see her in this role and can perceive that they too can follow it.

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, I do have one or two political questions for you, but I only have five minutes left. You're on a very tight schedule. To look at the entourage that comes with the Secretary of State, there are a lot of State Department personnel in the room, a lot of security outside your entourage. But when you come to a Harlem community -- and Congressman Rangel has been doing everything he can to try and turn this around.

But when you drive past and you see the young ladies, 13 years old with the strollers and the young men with their jeans hanging off their backsides -- you're arguably the most powerful woman in the world. What goes through your mind?

SECRETARY RICE: What goes through my mind is that we have to live up to the great principles that are the founding principles of this country and that's, everybody's going to have opportunity, that all people are created equal. And I know that we've still got hard work to do. That's what goes through my mind. We've not served everyone well in the United States. It is not the case, still, that the country is colorblind. It's still not the case, still, that if you grow up in difficult circumstances that you're necessarily making a break. But that's what schools like this are about. They are to make sure that we can live up to our principles.

And when I go around the world, the first thing I say is America's not perfect; we're not promoting democracy and we're not promoting women's rights and we're not promoting minority rights because we're perfect. We're promoting them because we're imperfect and we know that it's been a long journey in America to get to where we are today.

And we've still got work to do, so don't think that we're doing this, talking about these issues out of arrogance or haughtiness. We're talking about these issues out of hard experience. So if I'm talking to people in Colombia or people in Afghanistan or people -- I can say America has had these hard experiences and so we know that your journey is not an easy one. And I've found that if you are willing to say America doesn't think itself perfect and isn't perfect, people are a lot more willing to listen to the message.

CONGRESSMAN RANGEL: What I try to do when I'm taken back by what you've said is to think of schools like this, the Harriet Beecher Stowes and to know that these roses are growing up to be hearty and strong and that they're the majority.

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, two political questions and then I'll let you go. Between us, do you think all women across America are proud of the fact that Hillary Clinton is running for President?

SECRETARY RICE: Oh, I think all women are proud of the fact that we've gotten to the place that Americans are looking at women and blacks and all kinds of people and saying they can be President of the United States. I think it's a wonderful thing. You know, the country's come a long way in that regard and I think when people go into the polls these days, whether it's a woman or a minority, they're going to be asking the same questions they're going to be asking about any candidate: Does that person share my values, does that person share my interests, is that person going to make the kinds of decisions that I want to make.

And that's good. It doesn't mean that we are colorblind or gender-blind. We still see a woman or a minority when a person walks into the room, so it's not blindness. But we are starting to overcome our immediate prejudices about what somebody might be capable of just because they're black or just because they're a woman. And that's really important.

QUESTION: Madame Secretary --

CONGRESSMAN RANGEL: You have to bear in mind that her name was -- the Secretary's name was mentioned as a serious candidate for a senator.

QUESTION: I'm glad you brought that up, Congressman. And you know, Madame Secretary, I didn't know you were this aware of the issue of race.

SECRETARY RICE: Oh, how could you grow up in Birmingham, Alabama and not be -- not know the issue of race? Of course.

CONGRESSMAN RANGEL: She started a school for minority kids who are not making it in California and I'm going to visit that school --

SECRETARY RICE: Right.

CONGRESSMAN RANGEL: -- because it's still -- it existed at Stanford when she was Provost --

SECRETARY RICE: This is in 1992. Some friends and I got together in East Palo Alto and started -- at this school, it's after-school programs, summer programs, and they have an instrumental marching band. And we started that program in 1992 because I gave a commencement address in East Palo Alto for middle school and I said to the superintendent -- I said, "You know, this is an awfully elaborate ceremony for a middle school graduation," and she said, "Well, that's because 70 percent of these kids will never go to their high school graduation." And I said that just -- that can't be.

So some friends and I started this program and I'm very proud of it, but more than anything, I'm very proud to have a chance to be here with my friend, Chairman Rangel, and to see this great school and to recognize that this is going on all over the country and people really care.

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, I'm out of time. I conclude this way. Your staff has been very generous with your time and Congressman Rangel, we thank you so much. Here's the question. The former Mayor of this city, his good friend, Rudy Giuliani -- if Mr. Giuliani happens to call you, if he's the Republican nominee and he says, "Madame Secretary, I need you on this ticket. I need you as a number-two on my ticket. I can win this thing with you," what does Dr. Rice say?

SECRETARY RICE: Well, first of all, there is going to be a great contest of a lot of great candidates for President. We're not going to be lacking great candidates. I know a lot of them. But you know what? I'm headed back to Stanford, I'm headed back to a wonderful life in California where eventually, I can end up back in the classroom in front of some of the best and brightest students from all over America. And the great thing is when you go to a school like this, you know that you're going to be able to stand in front of a classroom that's not just kids of the elite, but kids who come from places like this. And so that's where I'm going and I can -- I'm looking forward to it.

QUESTION: We give you the final word, Congressman.

CONGRESSMAN RANGEL: Well, what makes you so certain that Mayor Giuliani would not extend that invitation to me? (Laughter.) Thank you, Dominic for all here that you do in education and we know that none of us would be here unless we stood on the shoulders of those that provided us with the opportunity.

QUESTION: And each one to each one.

SECRETARY RICE: Each one to each one.

QUESTION: Congressman Rangel, thank you so much and of course, Madame Secretary, it's an absolute honor to speak to you. Thank you.

SECRETARY RICE: Thank you. It's great to be with you. Thanks for having us.