On Wednesday, a large number of Washington D.C.’s elite gathered at the Washington National Cathedral. They had come to honor Madeleine Albright, the first female secretary of state of the nation. She had died of cancer, at the age of 84, on March 23. President Joe Biden, former presidents, leading foreign dignitaries, top officials of the Biden administration and others attended the service that began around 11 a.m. There were about 1,400 people preset at the service.
Former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Hillary And Chelsea Clinton, Michele Obama, speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell attended. Others who attended included her family, current and former secretaries of state, military officials and many other dignitaries. Leaders from the European states who remember her role in bringing to an end factional wars when former Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia etc broke up to form smaller republics, were present to honor the 64th U.S. secretary of state.
Biden described her as a “force of nature” who had turned the “tide of history” and always spoke out for democracy. He added that she considered international politics to be “personal.” He also mentioned personal anecdotes of how she effortlessly mingled her diplomatic skills with her dancing skills and joked about how unsuccessful she was in teaching him to dance.
Former president Bill Clinton, who appointed her as the first female secretary of state, spoke of many of her skills as well as his last conversation with her, a couple of weeks before she died, when she told him that the question that really mattered was what kind of a world they left behind for their grandchildren.
(Photo/Credit: Twitter)
Hillary Clinton confirmed that the first secretary of state had taught the popular Macarena dance form to the foreign minister of Botswana. Madeleine had once left an official event in Buenos Aires to dance the South American tango. She also danced a lot at Chelsea Clinton’s wedding. Many others paid glowing tributes to the feisty lady including her daughter Alice.
Madeleine Albright was a woman of many talents. She was proficient in five languages and wrote a few books. She was also a professor and a role model for millions of young Americans.
R.I.P. Madam Secretary of State of the U.S.
