Secretary Of State Albright Makes Diplomatic Debut

Madeleine Albright delivered smooth talk about tough issues in her State Department debut Friday, hammering America’s foes, making nice to Congress and heralding a new era of high-profile U.S. foreign policy.

Albright, the first woman to serve as secretary of state, branded Fidel Castro a 1950s-style “dictator.” She promised to “tell it like it is” to China on human rights violations. She said it was time for Iran and Iraq to stop supporting terrorism.

Cool and confident as she faced cameras and microphones for the first time since taking office Thursday, Albright also said she intended to work hard to convince the American people that foreign policy deserves more tax dollars.

“We have an obligation to explain clearly the who, what, when, how and especially the whys of U.S. foreign policy,” Albright told reporters. “We have a strong case to make, but we cannot expect that case to explain itself.”

Albright faithfully recited existing Clinton policy on a spectrum of subjects from Russia to Democratic Party campaign contributions. Yet the contrast could not have been greater with her predecessor, Warren Christopher, the camera-averse lawyer she once described as “almost lifelike.”

On her first full day on the job, she not only held a standing-room-only news conference and appeared on CNN’s “Larry King Live,” but staged twin receptions for 600 friends, allies and journalists. Early intentions to keep the guest list to a mere 350 quickly evaporated.

“She’s got a lot of friends, a lot of family,” laughed State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns, well-known for waging a generally fruitless effort to convince Christopher to cultivate the media.