and mrs. clinton, so what do i say, do i say first lady or do i say secretary clinton or senator clinton, i think i just contempt myself by saying we thank you for your years of service to our nation, and you know of colin s affection for you. eleanor roosevelt wrote if at the end one can say this man used to the limit the powers that god granted him, he was worthy of love and respect and of the sacrifices of many people made in order that he might achieve what he deemed to be his task, then that life has been lived well and there are no regrets. does that sound like somebody you know? seems like the husband, the father and the grandfather of the powell family right here. people asked me how did you
dignitaries from the country here today to pay respects and to honor the life and legacy of secretary powell. we have seen beautiful images, his wife alma taking her seat. his children michael, linda, ann marie. i want to bring back in peter and helene as the choir begins to sing here and the relationship as you talked about, colonel jack, between colin powell and his wife so special, that relationship between his children was special, as well. i want to think about that here as we listen to the choir at the national cathedral in a moment after this. we ll see the service begin.
raise him to perfection in the company of the saints. deliver your servant, colin, o sovereign lord christ from all evil and set him free from every bond, that he may rest with all your saints in the eternal habitations where with the father and the holy spirit you live and reign one god forever and ever. amen. let us also pray for all who mourn, that they may cast their care on god and know the consolation of his love. almighty, god, look with pity upon the sorrows of your servants for whom we pray. remember them, lord, in mercy, nourish them in patience,
i m just going to submit you to the third verse. this old race will soon be over. there will be no more race to run. and i will stand before god s throne, owl my heartaches will be gone. i ll hear my savior say welcome home. be real quiet. listen real carefully, and you might hear our savior say colin, welcome home and here s your starry crown, and finally, a message to alma and the kids. he was a very busy father, a very busy husband, huge responsibilities. as i say, i ve talked to him once, sometimes 15 times a day for 40 years. never in 40 years do i recall him ever failing to either start or end his day by telling what
nations and thargued that there were weapons of mass destruction in iraq and there weren t. he said he was misled by the intelligence community. and he talked a lot about how and why that happened but ultimately it was him. it was his credibility that he knew he was putting on the line and it backfired. these are the grandchildren and children of colin powell walking into the national cathedral being led. for them, we have to remember he was not just a symbol. he was not just a diplomat or a general, not somebody whose views are to be debated. he was a beloved father and grandfather by all accounts, a warm and wonderful man and presence in their lives even if they did have to share him with the rest of us.