.........Madeleine K. Albright, whose parents were Czech refugees from the Nazis and the Communists, [passed] at 84. Albright served the United States as a diplomat and then as Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton, the first woman to serve in that role. Her most recent op-ed, published by the New York Times just a month ago, illustrated just how deeply she still engaged with the nation’s interests. She warned that invading Ukraine “would ensure Mr. Putin’s infamy by leaving his country diplomatically isolated, economically crippled and strategically vulnerable in the face of a stronger, more united Western alliance.”
Her extraordinary career was a fitting backdrop today to Booker’s illumination of Judge Jackson. “The act of striving,” Albright once said, “is in itself the only way to keep faith with life.”
I didn't always agree with her and often thought her biggest accomplishment was racking up "frequent flyer miles"---but she worked at it and probably deserved more credit than I gave her.

Rest in peace madam Secretary.