Madeleine Albright Remembers Colin Powell: ‘I Have Lost a Friend’

ALBRIGHT President Biden President ░░░░░░░░ President Bush Secretary Clinton ░░░░░░░░ leaders and guests my ░░░░░░░░ is sad for I ░░░░░░░░ lost a friend Alma ░░░░░░░░ Linda and Annemarie the ░░░░░░░░ Powell family I m ░░░░░░░░ to you for inviting ░░░░░░░░ to share my thoughts ░░░░░░░░ this hour of celebration ░░░░░░░░ remembrance In 1993 when ░░░░░░░░ began serving as America ░░░░░░░░ ambassador to the U ░░░░░░░░ General Colin Powell was ░░░░░░░░ in his final months ░░░░░░░░ chairman of the Joint ░░░░░░░░ of Staff At White ░░░░░░░░ meetings I came equipped ░░░░░░░░ a yellow pad He ░░░░░░░░ a laser pointer and ░░░░░░░░ array of multicolored slides ░░░░░░░░ wore a pin He ░░░░░░░░ a lot of medals ░░░░░░░░ was a mere mortal ░░░░░░░░ civilian In the wake ░░░░░░░░ Operation Desert Storm he ░░░░░░░░ the hero of the ░░░░░░░░ world On policy the ░░░░░░░░ and I didn t ░░░░░░░░ reach the same conclusions ░░░░░░░░ in fact he would ░░░░░░░░ recount that one of ░░░░░░░░ comments almost gave him ░░░░░░░░ aneurysm Although we were ░░░░░░░░ same age he and ░░░░░░░░ were shaped by different ░░░░░░░░ and had different ideas ░░░░░░░░ represented different departments But ░░░░░░░░ the past quarter century ░░░░░░░░ also became very close ░░░░░░░░ an experience I know ░░░░░░░░ I have in common ░░░░░░░░ many of you The ░░░░░░░░ is that beneath that ░░░░░░░░ exterior of warrior statesman ░░░░░░░░ one of the gentlest ░░░░░░░░ most decent people any ░░░░░░░░ us will ever meet ░░░░░░░░ I grew to know ░░░░░░░░ I came to view ░░░░░░░░ Powell as a figure ░░░░░░░░ almost transcended time for ░░░░░░░░ virtues were Homeric honesty ░░░░░░░░ loyalty and an unshakable ░░░░░░░░ to his calling and ░░░░░░░░ These were the same ░░░░░░░░ he sought tirelessly to ░░░░░░░░ in the soldiers under ░░░░░░░░ command the diplomats he ░░░░░░░░ the colleagues with whom ░░░░░░░░ worked the readers of ░░░░░░░░ books the audiences that ░░░░░░░░ to his speeches the ░░░░░░░░ of the Powell School ░░░░░░░░ Civic and Global Leadership ░░░░░░░░ the thousands of young ░░░░░░░░ who benefited from the ░░░░░░░░ s Promise Alliance that ░░░░░░░░ and he championed He ░░░░░░░░ the opportunity to connect ░░░░░░░░ other generations And it ░░░░░░░░ always the right time ░░░░░░░░ told us and I ░░░░░░░░ to reach out to ░░░░░░░░ who s wanting to ░░░░░░░░ up and to each ░░░░░░░░ our own way to ░░░░░░░░ put that fellow American ░░░░░░░░ the road to success ░░░░░░░░ firstly listener and in ░░░░░░░░ the ultimate team player ░░░░░░░░ was nevertheless always true ░░░░░░░░ himself He could not ░░░░░░░░ moved by any threat ░░░░░░░░ tempting promise to depart ░░░░░░░░ what he felt was ░░░░░░░░ He had a code ░░░░░░░░ by his immigrant parents ░░░░░░░░ by army tradition and ░░░░░░░░ by more than half ░░░░░░░░ century of marriage He ░░░░░░░░ also guided by conscience ░░░░░░░░ unlike many never slept ░░░░░░░░ was incredibly cool People ░░░░░░░░ public life tend to ░░░░░░░░ We open our mouths ░░░░░░░░ the superlatives just gush ░░░░░░░░ Greatest worst The biggest ░░░░░░░░ ever The biggest disaster ░░░░░░░░ As if each choice ░░░░░░░░ a choice between utopia ░░░░░░░░ perdition Over the decades ░░░░░░░░ sat in many meetings ░░░░░░░░ Colin where I could ░░░░░░░░ hear his eyes roll ░░░░░░░░ it was his turn ░░░░░░░░ speak he was brilliant ░░░░░░░░ bringing over the moon ░░░░░░░░ down to earth and ░░░░░░░░ what truly mattered from ░░░░░░░░ did not His effectiveness ░░░░░░░░ magnified by his lack ░░░░░░░░ interest in racking up ░░░░░░░░ debating points or improving ░░░░░░░░ macho he could be ░░░░░░░░ a negotiator He cared ░░░░░░░░ about achieving results and ░░░░░░░░ through the strength of ░░░░░░░░ personality he made pragmatism ░░░░░░░░ Colin Powell s legacy ░░░░░░░░ service to the country ░░░░░░░░ loved will long survive ░░░░░░░░ passing from rescuing fellow ░░░░░░░░ while in combat to ░░░░░░░░ over the rollback of ░░░░░░░░ in the Middle East ░░░░░░░░ orchestrating after 9 11 ░░░░░░░░ global alliance against al ░░░░░░░░ to modernizing the practice ░░░░░░░░ diplomacy He devoted the ░░░░░░░░ measure of his energy ░░░░░░░░ skills to advancing national ░░░░░░░░ and to the common ░░░░░░░░ Hold on And he ░░░░░░░░ so in the right ░░░░░░░░ Which is why the ░░░░░░░░ loved him why his ░░░░░░░░ respected him and why ░░░░░░░░ the State Department he ░░░░░░░░ far more popular than ░░░░░░░░ predecessor I remember the ░░░░░░░░ his nomination as Secretary ░░░░░░░░ State was announced because ░░░░░░░░ drove himself having escaped ░░░░░░░░ service over to my ░░░░░░░░ so we could begin ░░░░░░░░ a smooth transition Amid ░░░░░░░░ rancor over the 2000 ░░░░░░░░ he was determined to ░░░░░░░░ the right example There ░░░░░░░░ a photo taken a ░░░░░░░░ days later which shows ░░░░░░░░ arriving at the State ░░░░░░░░ and we are laughing ░░░░░░░░ on the cusp of ░░░░░░░░ warm embrace I treasure ░░░░░░░░ picture because it captures ░░░░░░░░ relationship and it had ░░░░░░░░ from one of mutual ░░░░░░░░ to one of mutual ░░░░░░░░ It did help that ░░░░░░░░ both had a sense ░░░░░░░░ humor In his memoir ░░░░░░░░ recalled that during one ░░░░░░░░ on Bosnia where I ░░░░░░░░ advocating the use of ░░░░░░░░ he had felt compelled ░░░░░░░░ explain to me patiently ░░░░░░░░ military s proper role ░░░░░░░░ the book came out ░░░░░░░░ sent me a copy ░░░░░░░░ patiently yours Colin And ░░░░░░░░ I replied I signed ░░░░░░░░ note of thanks forcefully ░░░░░░░░ Madeleine In time we ░░░░░░░░ did become the closest ░░░░░░░░ friends Traveling together for ░░░░░░░░ trading frequent phone calls ░░░░░░░░ having lunch at his ░░░░░░░░ cafe We talked a ░░░░░░░░ about our gratitude to ░░░░░░░░ country our pride and ░░░░░░░░ families And our distaste ░░░░░░░░ aging He offered me ░░░░░░░░ of advice The last ░░░░░░░░ I saw him he ░░░░░░░░ me to count each ░░░░░░░░ in order to avoid ░░░░░░░░ or falling down the ░░░░░░░░ I now do that ░░░░░░░░ times a day and ░░░░░░░░ time I think of ░░░░░░░░ This morning my heart ░░░░░░░░ because we have lost ░░░░░░░░ friend and our nation ░░░░░░░░ of its finest and ░░░░░░░░ loyal soldiers Yet even ░░░░░░░░ we contemplate the magnitude ░░░░░░░░ our loss we can ░░░░░░░░ hear a familiar voice ░░░░░░░░ us no commanding us ░░░░░░░░ stop feeling sad to ░░░░░░░░ our gaze once again ░░░░░░░░ the past to the ░░░░░░░░ and to get on ░░░░░░░░ the nation s business ░░░░░░░░ making the absolute most ░░░░░░░░ our own days on ░░░░░░░░ One step at a ░░░░░░░░ To that command we ░░░░░░░░ only reply, yes, sir.”