NB:This may not be a word-for-word transcript.

Remembering the Life and Legacy of Madeleine Albright

Judy Woodruff: And now with me one of Madeleine Albright successors as US Ambassador to the United Nations, she is Susan Rice. She now serves as the Director of President Biden’s Domestic Policy Council. She was a close and long-time friend of Madeleine Albright.

Susan Rice, thank you so much for joining us, and we’re sorry for your loss. Tell us about you…about your connection to her. She knew your family from the time you were a little girl.

Susan Rice: Yes, Judy. Thank you so much for those kind words and thank you for doing this segment. I was privileged to know Madeleine Albright from the time I was four years old. My mom and she were friends, and I grew up with her daughters. And long before she was my boss, she was a role model as a professional woman in a field that I ended up joining in national security. But she was also just a regular warm, kind, supportive mother and friend. And there is not a single professional decision I made…had made thus far in my life without the benefit of her advice and wisdom.

And we’ve heard so much from President Clinton and in your package about her extraordinary accomplishments as a diplomat, as a…as a scholar, as a teacher, as a champion of democracy and human rights. But one thing I really want to stress is what an incredible mentor she was to so many – not just me, but all of her students at Georgetown, all of the many, many people in foreign policy and national security who looked up to her and had the benefit of her…of her wisdom and support and especially to young women. She formed recently the Albright Institute for Global Affairs at her alma mater, Wellesley College, where her aim was to lift up and support the next generation of women. And that was one of the many, many important and unique aspects of her.

Judy Woodruff: Yes, I…I saw firsthand how much she cared about bringing along other women. Susan Rice, how much do you think her background, growing up as she did in Czechoslovakia, escaping as President Clinton said twice from the…from the Nazis; she was affected by what was then the Soviet Union. How much did that background do you think shape her and drive her?

Susan Rice: Enormously. I mean, she was proud to be a refugee and deeply proud of being an American. But she knew firsthand how brutal autocracy was, and is. And you know, she was so passionate about democracy, so passionate about human rights and her leadership of the National Democratic Institute, where I was proud to serve with her on the board for a period of time. Um, her writings on fascism and the threat that it poses, her teachings to her students about the importance of Western values and Western cohesion and NATO and our alliance structure – these were all products of her personal experience as well as her…her enormous scholarship and her professional experience.

Judy Woodruff: What do you think it was the secret, though, to the secret sauce, if you will, I mean, you’re right, I mean, she was…she was a mentor, she was a great diplomat, she was an intellectual…? What…what put it all together?

Susan Rice: She had an extraordinary sense of humor and a playful sense of fun. And one of the things that make people made me, don’t remember, and I hope somebody will play the tape, was when she did the Macarena in the Security Council with other diplomats. That was, you know, a side of her that was very genuine. She had a sharp and…and…and biting wit at times, but always, you know, always warm, always caring. She brought it all together, I mean, she really, truly, Judy, as you will appreciate, was the consummate professional and mother and did them both simultaneously, and that was sort of indicative of…of who she is.

Judy Woodruff: I’ve heard…

Susan Rice: …hard side and soft side, and they blended perfectly.

Judy Woodruff: And in that connection, I’ve heard people describe her as not only a…a talented diplomat but also a good indoor politician – the way she could work people, if you will, how did you see that?

Susan Rice: Well, it’s not a surprise that she was our first woman Secretary of State. She, you know, was well positioned to do that, coming out of the UN. But she…she was a politician and she played her and had, I shouldn’t say she was a politician, she had political skills, very well-crafted political skills. When she left office as Secretary of State, she formed a group that she called Madeline and Her Exes. These were ex foreign ministers from other foreign countries that she had worked with primarily in Europe, but elsewhere, that…that she had formed close relationships with while she was Ambassador and Secretary of State. But they maintained the network that they stayed very close and did important policy work together and influence the decision-making in their respective capitals. So she did know how to network; she did know how to…to bring people along and bring people together. And even though, you know, she was clearly a committed Democrat, Big D, as well as Small D, you know, she worked across the aisle. She had close relationships on a bipartisan basis all of her professional life, and she prided herself on that. So she really was the whole package. And Judy, we will all miss her mightily.

Judy: For sure. And I’ve been watching the outpouring of statements across the political spectrum, as you said, from the Chamber of Commerce to members of Congress from both…both sides of the aisle. Susan Rice, thank you so much for joining us, especially on this rainy night at the White House. Thank you. And we’re sorry for your loss.

Susan Rice: Thank you. Thank you, Judy.