will you be mine (for one night only)?

Cue Up Frankie Laine's "Jezebel". Hit play. Begin reading:

Dear Ms. Rice: No doubt volumes will be written about your policies, your cronies, your academic career and your skills as an international power broker, but what of your book of love? Let's pretend for a moment, you and I. Say there could be a book that no one would ever see save you and me, a book of surrender and conquest, of peaks and valleys, of full-throated cries and barely audible whispers - a slender, tender volume of one night we alone shared?

My wife is perfectly fine with it, I wouldn't speak to the media or your boss - no one need know that for one night of your life you made yourself vulnerable to passion. You could get up the next morning and pretend that it never happened if you wanted to - just step back into your sensible underwear, slip and navy blue two-piece uniform, and off you go to your conferences and power lunches.

Where's the harm? Probably nothing will change - probably. You might feel a couple of strange new sensations as you work your diplomacy magic - we call these feelings 'empathy' and 'warmth'. Don't be frightened - most of us get these feelings from time to time.

Also, should you take me up on my offer, I promise to be completely respectful - the evening will be about you, not me. All precautions concerning birth control and STD's will be my responsibility, and trust me, I take those responsibilities very seriously. I also know how to whip up a tasty and rejuvenating smoothie to get your morning started right.

Statecraft requires deep insight into the nature of all facets of humanity, from the dark recesses of our subconscious selves to the bright horizons of what Lincoln called "the angels of our better nature." In this regard, my invitation, should you accept, can only add to your prodigious skills in divining the intentions of both evildoers and allies. It might also clear up some of that stuff you didn't grasp in those required literature courses in college.

Condoleeza, I eagerly await your response. Know that I am prepared to travel anywhere at a moment's notice, although I would appreciate a Kevlar vest if our assignation were to take place anywhere southeast of the Mediterranean. Again, discretion is my watchword, and, just so you know, I find that gap between your front teeth damn sexy. If it seals the deal for you to know, I have a gap there too. If you're reading this, you know how to reach me.