"We stand for ideals that are greater than ourselves and we go into the world not to plunder but to protect, not to subjugate but to liberate, not as masters of others but as servants of freedom," Rice thundered, to enthusiastic Southern Baptist applause.

Her speech on June 14 in Greensboro, North Carolina at the Southern Baptists’ annual convention did not get much coverage. This was odd, as Rice’s speech was a stem-winder, the Southern Baptists are considered the core of Bush’s much discussed conservative "base," and the assembly is the largest and most democratic of any religious convention in America.

About 12,000 "messengers" representing 16.4 million Southern Baptists and over 40,000 congregations attended.

"I do pray every day and in times of tragedy and heartbreak," said Rice, the daughter and grand-daughter of Presbyterian ministers from Alabama. "Whenever tragedy brings people to their knees, Southern Baptists have been there to help them get back on their feet." Naturally, the crowd was pleased as Rice recalled growing up in the back rooms of her father’s Birmingham church.

The Southern Baptist Convention is often described by its critics as the "Religious Right." But it is in fact America’s second largest religious body, having doubled in size since the 1950’s and surpassing the once dominant Methodists as the largest Protestant body in the 1960’s. The conservative led Southern Baptist Convention now outnumbers the liberal-led United Methodists by two to one.

Fearing the same liberal trends that eviscerated other denominations, conservatives launched a campaign in the late 1970’s to elect conservative Southern Baptist leaders who would reign in church agencies and seminaries. The campaign was successful, and liberal Southern Baptists such as Jimmy Carter and Bill Moyers have been roiling ever since.

Rice thanked the Southern Baptists for their anti-AIDS work in Africa, their anti-hunger work among tsunami victims, and their relief work among the refugees from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. She cited the Southern Baptists" "sacrifice," "courage" and "moral leadership." But she reserved most of her time for explaining the spiritual basis for an assertive U.S. foreign policy.

"Our world needs America’s leadership now more than ever," Rice insisted. "We’re mindful that many men and women beyond our shores still live at the mercy of thieves and thugs and petty tyrants." She spoke of the "many people of faith [who] can only whisper to God in the silent sanctuaries of their conscience because they fear persecution for their religious beliefs." Rice asked: "If America does not rally support for people everywhere who desire to worship in peace and freedom then I ask you: Who will?" Answering affirmatively, the Southern Baptists rose to their feet.

Rice referred to the plight of Chinese Christians, to the victims of human trafficking, and the Islamist wars waged in Sudan.

"If not for America, who would rally freedom-loving nations to defend liberty and democracy in our world?" she asked. "We are bringing justice to the terrorists," she added. Referring to the "fate that our troops delivered last week to the terrorist Zarqawi," Rice reported: "He will never harm, he will never murder, he will never terrorize innocent people again." The Southern Baptists reacted with thunderous applause.

Rice insisted that the U.S. is "supporting the democratic aspirations of all people," citing the 55 million people of Iraq and Afghanistan, who had been freed thanks to the "courage and the sacrifice of America’s fighting men and women." Three times Rice saluted the U.S. military on the "frontlines of freedom," and each time the Southern Baptists vigorously applauded.

If America is passive, the world will drift toward "tragedy," Rice warned. "The strong will do what they please," she said. "The weak will suffer most of all and inevitably, inevitably sooner or later, the threats of our world will strike once again at the very heart of our nation."

"America will lead the cause of freedom in our world, not because we think ourselves perfect," Rice said, referring the enslavement and discrimination against her own African ancestors. "We are striving toward a more perfect union," she asserted, noting that at the end of her term, it will have been 12 years since a white man had been U.S. Secretary of State. With good humor, the Southern Baptists applauded again, for the 16th time during Rice’s 30 minute speech. Although sometimes derided as a white church, the Southern Baptist Convention now has 3,000 black congregations. Every year, it starts hundreds of new black and Hispanic churches.