From left: President Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama.Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty
Former presidents and first ladiesgathered together againon Wednesday for another prominent memorial as they celebrated the life of former Secretary of StateMadeleine Albright.
Former PresidentBarack Obamaand his wife, former First LadyMichelle Obama; former PresidentBill Clintonand his wife, former Secretary of State and First LadyHillary Clinton; and Vice President-turned-PresidentJoe Bidenall gathered to remember Albright at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
The Clintons' daughter,Chelsea, also attended the service, sitting alongside her father’s vice president,Al Gore.
Current First Lady Dr.Jill Bidenwas not able to attend due to previous commitments at Northern Virginia Community College, where she teaches, herspokesperson told reporters.
The Obamas — who, along with all those in attendance, wore face masks at the request of Albright’s family — could be seen chatting with the Clintons prior to the service. They likewise warmly greeted President Biden as he entered.
In another moment filmed ahead of the service, Secretary Clinton could be seen helping her husbandadhere a pinto his collar.
Albright, the first female U.S. secretary of state and for a time the country’s highest-ranking woman,died last monthat the age of 84.
She was nominated as the first female secretary of state in December 1996 under then-President Clinton and unanimously confirmed weeks later, in early 1997. She remained in that role until the end of Clinton’s second term as president.
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“The angels better be wearing their best pins and putting on their dancing shoes,” Secretary Clinton, who appeared in an episode of CBS’Madame Secretaryalongside Albright, said in her eulogy. “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.”
The small (and informal) club of former presidents and first ladies routinely gather for various state functions and other national occasions and are, for the most part, friendly with one another. Mrs. Obama hasjokingly nicknamed them"the formers."
The mini-reunions have made headlines in the past for their camaraderie, as when former PresidentGeorge W. Bushslipped Mrs. Obama a piece of candy duringJohn McCain’s 2018 funeral.
source: people.com
