Rested Albright Offers Jokes and Book Hints

WASHINGTON —  In what she termed her first “serious” speaking engagement since leaving office, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said she was glad to be back after a week at a spa out West and hinted that her forthcoming book may reveal some details on how she was treated by some of her peers while she was in the Clinton Cabinet.

“I’m happy to be back in Washington, where everyone is being unusually--almost suspiciously--nice. I’d like to think this stems from an outburst of spontaneous affection; more likely it’s because I am just about to write my book,” joked Albright, speaking at the Organization of American States this week, during a conference on the role of regional and multilateral organizations in the defense and promotion of democracy.

In a memoir to be published by Talk Miramax Books Albright is expected to be detailed in recounting her experiences and missteps as the first female secretary of state.

“From my old office, I could look out over the Mall and see the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. From my new office, I can see the California Pizza Kitchen and a place offering custom tattoos,” she joked before getting down to the business of talking about how democratic communities could “come to the aid of democratic nations endangered by internal or external threats.”

On her health club interlude, during which she perspired and ate vegetables, Albright said: “Strangely, I enjoyed it. I needed the exercise, and nobody talked about the Middle East.”