U.S. leaders pay tribute to Madeleine Albright at Washington funeral: ‘Force of nature’
Global News
U.S. leaders past and present praised former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as a fighter against fascism and a champion of women on Wednesday.
U.S. leaders past and present praised former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as a fighter against fascism and a champion of women on Wednesday at a funeral service honoring her life and legacy as the first woman to serve as the United States’ top diplomat.
President Joe Biden called Albright a “force of nature” who changed the tide of history and said she was a big reason why the NATO alliance — which he has rallied to support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion — is strong and galvanized today.
Albright, who served as secretary of state from 1997 to 2001, died last month of cancer at age 84. The professor, businesswoman, mother and grandmother was heralded as a trailblazer after her death.
“Her name is still synonymous with America as a force for good in the world,” Biden told mourners at the Washington National Cathedral.
“She loved to speak about America as the indispensable nation. … It was about gratitude for all this country made possible for her. It was a testament to her belief in the endless possibilities that only America could help unlock around the world.”
Albright and her family fled the Nazis in her native Czechoslovakia during World War Two. They eventually settled in the United States, where Albright grew to become a tough-talking diplomat, famous for a sometimes-sharp tongue and a collection of pins she would wear to send political messages.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who as first lady urged her husband, then President Bill Clinton, to choose Albright to be secretary of state, said it was important to heed the lessons of Albright’s life experience.
“Once again, we must heed the wisdom of her life and the cause of her public service: Stand up to dictators and demagogues — from the battlefields of Ukraine to the halls of our own Capitol,” she said, referring to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, who was not present at the funeral.
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