Would Condi Rice still legally be SoS? Doesn't her term expire when Bush goes out?
Yes, it does.
She doesn't have a term of office as such.
They may have someone stay away from the ceremony, a "designated survivor."
OK, but who is even in the line of succession, who could serve as a designated survivor, in the moments after the new president and VP are sworn in? If the president has *just* been sworn in minutes ago, there hasn't been time to swear in the new Cabinet yet. So is the entire Cabinet vacant, or are the old Cabinet members from the outgoing administration still in office until their replacements are sworn in?
The Speaker and President Pro Tem. In theory, a single surviving Representative could elect a Speaker.
Oh yes, that's why a Representative is placed as one of the designated survivors
So, assuming, that Representative Minnick of Idaho (just for example) is places as a designated survivor and he's only one left, he can elect himself as a Speaker and assume the Presidency, correct?
