ORLAND PARK | Applause repeatedly punctuated the fiery words of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who stood before a crowd of nearly 1,000 Tuesday night and spoke about issues ranging from the Middle East to relations with Cuba.

Her speech kicked off the Voices and Visions series at St. Xavier University.

"Peace is hard," she said. "There are elements within the religions who believe that war in the Middle East has been foretold by Scripture. I'm no theologian, but I do know this: Armageddon is not a foreign policy."

Thinly veiled criticisms of the current administration and bold statements about foreign policy reinforced the first female secretary of state's reputation as both determined and opinionated. Several times the crowd drowned out the end of especially fierce statements with applause.

Her statements about the troops in Iraq were received with particular enthusiasm.

"The invasion and occupation of Iraq have actually strengthened al-Qaida .. I believe with the president that it would be a disaster to leave under present circumstances. It would also be a disaster to stay," she said. "We have an overriding duty to bring them home sooner rather than later."

Albright, raised in the U.S. as a Catholic immigrant from Poland who learned of her Jewish ancestry as an adult, touched on religious issues several times, mostly regarding the Middle East.

Drawing from her personal experience and exposure while serving as the top diplomat for former President Bill Clinton, she spoke about individual cases of poverty and strife.

"The people I will never forget are those I encountered in refugee camps, safe havens... these are the places where human character undergoes its toughest test," she said.

But Albright's remarks also were lighthearted. Referring to harsh media criticism, after she was stoned in a marketplace in the Balkans, she joked, "That was about the time that I began telling a friend that the reason I looked fatter was that I had grown a thicker skin."

When confronted with the inevitable question about which of the two barrier-breaking Democratic candidates she was supporting in the 2008 election, Albright reiterated her endorsement of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York. But, not burning any bridges, she also gave Barack Obama a glowing review.