Hillary Clinton couldn’t help herself and took a few veiled swipes at former President Donald Trump and injected partisan politics into the funeral of diplomat Madeleine Albright, the nation’s first female secretary of state.
She urged the crowd to “stand up to dictators and demagogues, from the battlefields of Ukraine to the halls of our own Capitol, and defend democracy at home.” She also came clean about a longtime rumor that she told Bill to pick Madeleine Albright for Secretary of State.
She said:”So, the angels better be wearing their best pins and putting on their dancing shoes because if, as Madeleine believed, there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t support other women, they haven’t seen anyone like her yet.
“When dictators dragged their feet or ambassadors filibustered, Madeleine never hesitated to speak up. And just in case they didn’t get the message, she would put on a snail pin to signal her impatience.
“It’s been said that I urged my husband to nominate her as our first female secretary of State. Unlike much that’s said, this story was true. And I was thrilled when he agreed.
“It’s been said that I urged my husband to nominate her as our first female secretary of State. Unlike much that’s said, this story was true. And I was thrilled when he agreed.”
Hillary Clinton delivers remarks at the funeral of Madeleine Albright. https://t.co/pw7FGhSnp5 pic.twitter.com/TBx8tRAcxB
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 27, 2022
“She continued to issue blunt warnings about the dangers posed by authoritarianism and fascism with undeniable moral clarity. Until the end, she was still in a hurry to do good.
“As Bill said, during the last phone call two weeks before she died, she talked about the importance of what President Biden is doing to rally the world against Putin’s horrific invasion of Ukraine and the urgent work of defending democracy at home and around the world.
“She knew better than most and she warned us in her book on fascism that, yes, it can happen here and time and courage are of the essence.
“The Bible tells us that to everything there is a season and a time and purpose under heaven– a time to weep and a time to laugh.
“If Madeleine were here with us today, she would also remind us this must be a season of action.
“And yes, 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. Defend democracy at home, just as vigorously as we do abroad. Live up to the ideals of the country that welcomed an 11-year-old refugee sailing into New York Harbor on a ship called SS America and made her Secretary of State.
“Let us honor Madeleine’s life and legacy by being the indispensable nation she loved and served. And let us live, as she did, in a hurry to do the most good we can with every season under heaven. Godspeed, 59. God bless you, dear Madeline. We will never, ever forget you.
Biden said:
“Her name is still synonymous with America as a force for good in the world. Madeleine never minced words or wasted time when she saw something needed fixing, or someone who needed helping. She just got to work.
“She could go toe-to-toe with the toughest dictators, then turn around and literally teach a fellow ambassador how to do the macarena on the floor of the U.N. Security Council.
“When I got word that Madeleine passed, I was in midair on my way to Europe to meet with our NATO allies in Brussels to help try to continue to keep the strong, strong alliances together, our organization and international response to Russia’s brutal and unjustifiable war against Ukraine. It was not lost on me that Madeleine was a big part of the reason NATO was still strong and galvanized as it is today.”
Hillary Clinton at Madeleine Albright’s funeral: “The angels better be wearing their best pins and putting on their dancing shoes because if, as Madeleine believed, there’s a special place in hell for women who don’t support other women, they haven’t seen anyone like her yet.” pic.twitter.com/ZR5fSN4qcx
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 27, 2022
