[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 166 (Wednesday, December 15, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H8503-H8508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF AMERICA'S PEACEMAKER, AMBASSADOR 
                           RICHARD HOLBROOKE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Schauer). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) 
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
  I am saddened by the occasion on which I come to the floor of the 
House, but it is a privilege to be able to speak about a great 
American, for we do not capture the life and the legacy of great 
Americans. We find ourselves forgetting. Some would say, if we don't 
remember the past, we are doomed to repeat some of those hills and 
valleys in the future. Tonight, I want to remember Ambassador Richard 
Holbrooke, whom this Nation lost on Monday evening.
  It is important that his story be told for I would like to know him 
and for this Nation to know him as America's peacemaker, but many will 
say that peacemaker had a tough edge.
  Before I start, I want to mention his family and express my sympathy 
to them for their loss--to his wife, his two sons, and his 
stepchildren--all who loved him so very, very much.
  What I would say to you is that this was an action man. He was 
someone who threw himself into the world of diplomacy. Frankly, there 
was no challenge of peace too difficult for Ambassador Richard 
Holbrooke.
  One newspaper, USA Today, calls him as he is known in the headline--
Bulldozer, Giant of Diplomacy Holbrooke Dies.
  Among his credits, the 1995 Bosnian pact, but Richard was also known 
around the world for being unending and unceasing in his commitment to 
solving a problem, and he would ask you to work with him to solve that 
problem.
  Henry Kissinger said, If Richard calls you and asks you for 
something, just say, ``Yes.'' If you say, ``No,'' you will eventually 
get to saying ``yes,'' but the journey will be very painful.
  Ambassador Holbrooke was not prepared to give up. He learned to 
become extremely informed about whatever country he was in. He would 
push for an exit strategy and look for ways to get those who lived in a 
country to take responsibility for their own security. He didn't mind 
getting engaged and involved with those who lived in faraway places, 
whether it was Vietnam or whether it was Bosnia--the resulting 
agreement, the Dayton peace treaty. The Washington Post headline 
credited him with deft maneuvering that resulted in that peace treaty. 
He brokered the accord in Bosnia. He was seeking peace in Afghanistan, 
and he refused to give up.
  So, tonight, it is important that we remember this man, this 
gentleman--this giant of a man, large in size and with the capacity to 
do much. America was saddened by his loss. In particular, I note that 
Ambassador Holbrooke always accepted the call to duty, whether it was 
as the U.N. ambassador or whether it was as the special envoy which 
President Obama called him to be. In the time of sadness, many came to 
present and to give their thoughts. Let me share with you some of those 
words.
  For nearly 50 years, Richard served the country he loved with honor 
and distinction. He worked as a young foreign service officer during 
the Vietnam war, and then supported the Paris Peace Talks, which ended 
that war.

                              {time}  2200

  As a young assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific 
Affairs, he helped normalize relations with China. As U.S. ambassador 
to Germany, he helped Europe emerge from a long Cold War and encouraged 
NATO to welcome new members. The progress that we have made in 
Afghanistan and Pakistan is due in no small measure to Richard's 
relentless focus on America's national interests and pursuit of peace 
and security. He understood in his life, his work, and his interests 
that they encompass the values that we hold so dear, and as usual, 
amidst this extraordinary duty, he also mentored young people who will 
serve our country for decades to come. One of his friends and admirers 
once said that if you're not on the team and you're in the way, God 
help you. Like so many Presidents before me, I am grateful that Richard 
Holbrooke was on my team, as are the American people. President Barack 
Obama.
  I remind you, like so many Presidents before me, I'm grateful that he 
was on my team. The President understood the kind of strength that 
Ambassador Holbrooke had. This sounds just like him: If you're not on 
the team and you're in his way, God help you. But remember, he was 
doing it for the good of this Nation and for the good of the world.
  Another comment on his great life: In a lifetime of passionate, 
brilliant service on the front lines of war and peace, freedom and 
oppression, Richard Holbrooke saved lives, secured peace, and restored 
hope for countless people around the world. He was central to our 
efforts to limit ethnic cleansing in Kosova and paved the way for its 
independence, and he found a way to break the stalemate in the talks in 
Cyprus.
  Little known to many people, I was proud to nominate him as the 
United States Ambassador to the United Nations where he helped equip 
the U.N. to meet the challenges of our 21st-century world. Former 
President Bill Clinton.
  Let me just reiterate these words. He helped restore hope for 
countless people around the world. I remember engaging with Ambassador 
Holbrooke in the early stages of my congressional career, and I 
remember him as the United Nations ambassador: resilient, joyful, 
persistent, determined, ready to tackle the world for peace. He wasn't 
bored with his job. He was never bored. He was always ready to do what 
was right.
  Another comment on his life: Richard Holbrooke was a larger-than-life 
figure who through his brilliance, determination and sheer force of 
will helped bend the curve of history in the direction of progress. He 
touched so many lives and helped save countless more. He was a tireless 
negotiator, a relentless advocate for American interests, and the most 
talented diplomat we have had in a generation. Vice President Joe 
Biden.
  Other words pouring out for him and toward him: From his early days 
in Vietnam, to his historic role bringing peace to the Balkans, to his 
last mission in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard helped shape our 
history, manage our perilous present, and secure our future. I had the 
privilege to know Richard for many years and to call him a friend, 
colleague, and confidante. As Secretary of State, I have counted on his 
advice, relied on his leadership. This is a sad day for me, for the 
State Department and, yes, for the United States of America. Secretary 
of State Hillary Clinton.
  Some would say that States and defense, power and diplomacy, 
sometimes did not match or mix, but Richard Holbrooke knew how to walk 
that line. Ambassador Holbrooke was one of the most formidable and 
consequential public servants of his generation, bringing his uncommon 
passion, energy, tenacity, and intellect to bear on the most difficult 
national security interests of our time. Secretary of Defense Robert 
Gates.
  He never lost time fighting for ideals he believed in. He never lost 
touch with the problems faced by millions of people he never knew. And 
he never lost hope that those same people could live in peace, 
security, and safety. Indeed, he shared their vivid aspirations. The 
Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen.
  You can see that he interacted with these leaders of our present 
government and past government quite frequently. He was a frequent 
visitor to the White House. Those who worked in this area and those who 
did not knew Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, and he drew the admiration 
and respect and sometimes the intimidation of those who watched him 
work and wondered

[[Page H8504]]

what he would say next. Well, I can tell you as someone who has 
likewise watched his work, he would be talking about peace.
  Further words about him: His drive was immense. His desire to do good 
in the world was fierce, and he pursued all that he set out to do with 
a resolution and tenacity that was second to none. His legacy will be 
his work, his inspiration to so many around the world. That's what we 
should note about Ambassador Holbrooke: how many miles he accumulated 
in his travels around the world, how many times in his lifetime around 
the world he went.
  More than we probably could calculate because, when this Nation 
called him, when there was a conflict, a difficult situation, where 
people were at odds, where others were suffering, he wanted to 
intervene and to bring peace. He wanted to see the best of Pakistan and 
Afghanistan. He wanted those people to thrive and to grow. He wanted 
the children to have an opportunity for education and to mature into 
citizens of their nation.
  He wanted the people of Afghanistan to have freedom and a good 
government and good governance. He wanted there to be the opportunity 
for girls to go to school and women to be respected and held in dignity 
and to have the same access to opportunities that we cherish here in 
the United States of America. He cared about our soldiers on the front 
line, and he knew that they were putting themselves on the line so that 
he could work his magic and bring resolution.
  You know what I would say to my colleagues, I know that the heads of 
state of both Pakistan and Afghanistan have experienced the similar 
loss and pain of a giant like Ambassador Holbrooke in losing his life. 
I know that because both Presidents, Presidents Zardari and Karzai, 
called the family to express their concern. Presidents called far away 
from their homes, as one could imagine, because they respected a man 
who would get in the mix and fight both, if he had to, to draw them 
together and to iron out or to box out these particular issues that 
were keeping us from being united around the question of peace.
  Further comments about this great man. They noted that Ambassador 
Holbrooke's service spanned decades and continents confronting 
profoundly difficult issues and global affairs. The members of the 
council expressed admiration for his contributions as the United 
States' permanent representative to the United Nations, as well as for 
his energetic and unrelenting commitment to promoting peace and 
strengthening international cooperation of the United Nations.
  I will tell you that his work at the United Nations allowed him to 
touch governments around the world, and I venture to say that any 
hotspot that would occur today, this giant of a man would be able to go 
and begin to develop a solution. Remember what I said, any country that 
he would go to, he would begin to know more than anyone else about that 
country and probably more than those who lived there. That's what made 
him effective. That's what made him have the ability to talk to heads 
of state and prime ministers and foreign ministers and those who were 
engaged in the day-to-day diplomacy of that particular country. It was 
his understanding of their culture, his understanding of their 
language, his understanding of how they thought, but most of all, his 
understanding of his own thoughts, and he knew he wanted peace, and he 
would do what was necessary.
  There were so many that considered him friend, but there were really 
so many more that respected him for being the bulldozer, giant for 
peace. I call him America's peacemaker.
  Further comments that I pay tribute to his diplomatic skills, 
strategic vision, and legendary determination as the architect of the 
1995 Dayton Agreement, Ambassador Holbrooke played a key role in ending 
the war in Bosnia, the most terrible tragedy on European soil since 
World War II. At the end of this long and distinguished career, he 
traveled tirelessly to Afghanistan and Pakistan in pursuit of peace and 
stability in the region, and he would not stop. My words.
  He knew that history is unpredictable, that we sometimes have to 
defend our security by facing conflict in distant places and that the 
transatlantic alliance remains indispensable. Secretary General of 
NATO.

                              {time}  2210

  And so Ambassador Holbrooke knew how to put it together, how to work 
with the various entities that represented the front lines of defense 
for this Nation and for Europe and other countries. He knew how to walk 
the walk and talk the talk.
  I remember, as a new Member of Congress, coming in during the hostile 
and the horrible conflict of Bosnia, the ethnic cleansing that occurred 
in Kosova, and to realize that one man was the pinnacle, the pivotal 
point of working on the Dayton peace treaty, I tell you how important 
that was. As a new Member of Congress, I was able to go on the first 
delegation into Bosnia, then to meet with heads of states of Bosnia and 
former Yugoslavia and Croatia. We went to Sarajevo, and we landed where 
there was no actual peace in place at that time. They were looking to 
finalize the Dayton peace treaty. We were going in to determine whether 
or not this peace treaty was going to be welcomed by the people.
  As we went into this town that was known for its beautiful Alps and 
skiing opportunities, I was literally shocked. It drew me back to 
pictures I saw in history books of World War II when Europe looked as 
if it was completely bombed out and desolate. Whole buildings had their 
tops knocked off. In libraries, doors were opened and books strewn on 
the ground. People walking aimlessly through the streets. And as we 
walked to what was left of a public building to meet the various 
leaders, there were women who came up to me in the street and asked had 
I seen their son. In this horrible war, they had lost their son. Is 
their son alive? in their language, speaking to me.
  I know the price of that horrible war by way of seeing those people 
in pain. Ambassador Holbrooke understood it and worked without ceasing 
to secure a peace that is lasting today. No peace is a hundred percent. 
There are always some trials and tribulations, but he laid the 
framework that is in place today. He left it to us to be vigilant, to 
give oversight, if you will, and to ensure that people who have been in 
conflict, who desire to have peace can live in peace.
  Further comments about Ambassador Holbrooke: We will always remember 
his efforts of promoting peace and stability in our region with a deep 
sense of appreciation and gratitude. Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani.
  He will always be remembered for his preeminent role in ending the 
vicious war in Bosnia, where his force of personality and his 
negotiating skills combined to drive through the Dayton peace treaty 
agreement and put a halt to the fighting. British Prime Minister David 
Cameron.
  As you can see, from all walks of life, they poured out their 
comments of respect for, again, America's peacemaker.
  He could always be counted on for his imagination, dedication, and 
forcefulness. Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright.
  Many understood his work, many who were in the business. More 
comments: Richard Holbrooke's legacy goes well beyond the critical role 
he played in bringing a decade of fragile peace in the Balkans, 
welcoming a reunified Germany in an expanding NATO. He also leaves a 
vast multigenerational intercontinental network of friends. I say that 
again: He also leaves a vast multigenerational intercontinental network 
of friends.
  Thank you, Ambassador Holbrooke. It means that you have touched 
people around the world through generations, and that means that some 
are left with your spirit, your inspiration, and your training. These 
words came from the president of the Brookings Institution, Strobe 
Talbott, one who knows this system well.
  And then of course you had the fun stories about him, and one could 
not speak about him without saying how many different things he was. As 
it was said in The Washington Post: a writer, a diplomat, an editor, a 
banker, publisher, impresario of numerous organizations. He was a 
deeply serious man, engaged always in a serious business of saving 
lives in Vietnam, in Afghanistan, in Bosnia, and I will say at the 
United Nations.
  Yes, Ambassador Holbrooke, you were engaged in saving lives. And to

[[Page H8505]]

the end of your life, it was your pursuit to save lives. As I 
indicated, to save the lives of our soldiers in Afghanistan, to save 
the lives of women and children and families, to save the lives who 
simply want to go from marketplace to home, the farmers who want to 
take their goods from Kandahar to Kabul or want to do something else 
other than poppy crop, he was trying to save their lives in 
Afghanistan.
  As I visited and as I reflect on my visits to Afghanistan and seeing 
what a unique terrain, how difficult, how challenging it is, I just 
want to say to my colleagues, Ambassador Holbrooke could have sat in an 
armchair, could have done armchair diplomacy. In the world of 
technology, he could have made attempts to communicate in ways other 
than the kind of ``roll up your sleeves, get on an airplane, and go 
into the harshest places'' to bring about peace. But he understood that 
peace was about a people-to-people relationship. It was something that 
was special, and he had the special touch.
  Further words from a friend: Dick Holbrooke was a friend of mine. 
Just 2 days before he fell ill, I saw him and his devoted wife at a 
dinner where he proposed a toast with generosity, affection, self-
deprecation, and the sort of comic timing that made you think he had 
missed his true profession. I liked him enormously. But for all that he 
did over nearly 50 years of service to his Nation and, indeed, to all 
human kind, I admired him much, much more.
  As you begin to reflect on Ambassador Holbrooke's life, you have to 
admire him much, much more, and that was from the international editor 
of Time magazine, Michael Elliott.
  I am sure that we could count so many emails and Twitter and blogging 
that is going on right now, first because of the shock of losing this 
giant of a man, this man that exuded desires for peace; but yet he 
leaves a life of instruction, that if we are to really develop the kind 
of world that brings peace to all in the backdrop of Afghanistan and 
Pakistan and the backdrop of the issues in the Mideast and the backdrop 
of North and South Korea, it has to be the kind of hand-to-hand 
diplomacy, insistent diplomacy, persistent, determined diplomacy, and 
out-of-the-box diplomacy.

  One of the champions of a unique new concept for Pakistani Americans 
and helping Pakistan, and I was delighted to be able to engage with him 
on this and the Secretary of State to go to the first inaugural meeting 
in New York, and that is to develop a Pakistan-American development 
board that would generate resources and investment by Pakistani 
Americans and others in Pakistan.
  That is a love for the people. He knew that he could start there 
because he knew that in his interactions, he was not willing to label 
the entire Pakistan with the frontier area and the unfortunate 
circumstances that cause Pakistan to be able to be in the way, if you 
will, of receiving terrorists running from Afghanistan. He knew the 
circumstances. He knew the harshness of it. But he also knew that there 
were people every day in Karachi and Lahor, Islamabad, and other 
places, in Peshawar that wanted to go to school, to open business, to 
be able to have a democratic government, a judicial system that worked.
  And so he put the burden on the Government of Pakistan to say to 
them, I will work with you if you will work with me. He believed that 
there could be a solution, so he was excited about this Pakistan 
development board, similar to the Irish-American board, and he was the 
heart and soul behind it. And we had a great celebration in New York, 
and it exists, and it's one of his legacies.
  And so I will say to Ambassador Holbrooke, to his spirit and to his 
legacy, You've left something behind that can help to create peace, 
that can network across the ocean between the goodwill of the people of 
America and Pakistani Americans and those in Pakistan who really want 
to focus in on building a great nation.

                              {time}  2220

  Maybe in the spirit of their founding father, Dr. Jinnah, who 
believed in a democratic process, living harmoniously with Bangladesh 
and India, Pakistan and Afghanistan and that region. And so I want us 
to support the concept of his legacy. Just let me read some headlines 
that are reflective of his history.
  Strong American voice in diplomacy in crisis. I can affirm that. 
Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, all resulted out of crisis, but he 
was a man of diplomacy.
  Statesman who defined a generation. Clearly, 50 years of service, 
there was no doubt that Ambassador Holbrooke's life will be considered 
an era, a timeframe of American diplomacy, and an approach of get 
involved and getting to know the people who you had to engage with.
  As we listened to reflections about Ambassador Holbrooke, it was 
noted that he would go to the sites of the chief or the elder statesman 
or elder warrior or the village or the mountain to be able to draw from 
that very person who could be part of making peace.
  You know, as I reflect on this, I would say to you, that's the kind 
of diplomacy we need. We're going to have to unshackle ourselves.
  It's interesting, as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, 
Ambassador Holbrooke, in his astuteness, appeared before us a number of 
times and was always so erudite and brilliant and carefully thinking 
and analyzing as he responded to questions. But one thing that comes 
out of his life, and one thing I gleaned as I've had the privilege of 
representing the people of Houston in the 18th Congressional District, 
and seeing how the world works on their behalf and trying to be part of 
the solution and not the problem, people believe America can solve 
their problems. I know many Americans push back on that and actually 
say that we can't nation-build and we can't solve everyone's problems. 
And in the literal sense, they may be right. But if there's a 
perception that America has the answer, that our democratic values are 
so strong that we can reach in times of peace, or with peaceful tactics 
help guide them toward peace, there's nothing wrong with that. I 
believe Ambassador Richard Holbrooke truly believed that, that our 
values were so strong that we could, by sheer determination, 
commitment, and dedication, help those people who could not help 
themselves.
  Time Magazine has Richard Holbrooke, an archetype of American 
diplomacy. And let me just share these few words. But there have been 
many career diplomats whose lives overlay the most important historical 
moments of the last half century. And they name a few. These are 
friends and rivals of Holbrooke's, who also played key roles and 
influenced events in ways we're still only beginning to learn.
  What made Holbrooke most memorable--and of course the article names a 
number of individuals--and what lies behind the outpouring of mourning 
and reminiscence that is sweeping Washington in the wake of his death 
Monday evening was his personification of what many at home and abroad 
imagine U.S. diplomacy to be. And I imagine what they're saying is that 
it was the hands on, get in your face, but come with a smile and tell 
you we can do this together. That's Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.
  Now, he didn't pull any punches. I remember sitting in a meeting with 
him with Pakistani Americans, and he answered hard questions and 
sometimes gave hard answers. But he left the room with friends, and 
they truly believed he was looking for peace in Afghanistan and 
Pakistan.
  Holbrooke, this article goes on to say, was not just a prominent 
American diplomat who engaged in some of the most consequential 
international events of this time. In the same way that Shakespeare's 
characters still seem to live with us today as the archetype for human 
nobility, vanity, and ambition, so Holbrooke seemed to be the very 
human version of American diplomacy itself: piledriver powerful yet 
subtly persuasive, brash, volcanic and occasionally offensive but 
tactically brilliant and capable of the finest strategic judgment, 
cold-eyed and sometimes heartlessly realistic but possessing high 
principles and real deep compassion.
  Friends, I just read that from Time. But as you have heard my 
tribute, it's interesting how these words come from all of us. And as I 
indicated to you, if Ambassador Holbrooke's legacy is anything, it is, 
in fact, to leave us with that kind of roadmap. That's the kind of 
exciting diplomacy we must be engaged in.

[[Page H8506]]

  The world is not the same. It's not quiet. It's not two heads of 
state sitting down quietly and having tea and coming to the room and 
signing the treaty. It is somebody that's hard moving. It is somebody 
that can be heartless but realistic, high principles, deep compassion, 
get in the way.
  Thank you, Ambassador Holbrooke, for leaving with us a roadmap and 
leaving us with your legacy and challenges. Because I don't know if the 
Ambassador, as he was working so diligently, where he felt we were 
going in Afghanistan, but I believe we must make a commitment in light 
of his spirit and the sacrifice for his family, friends, as he 
dedicated almost 100 percent of his time, unending, to finding a 
resolution and bringing people together.

  I would simply say that to President Karzai, for the spirit in which 
you express your sympathy, I know that Ambassador Holbrooke would be so 
grateful for movement toward resolving this conflict, toward the 
ceasing of those who would move from Afghanistan to take refuge and 
cover in Pakistan. He would welcome the rising up of both governments 
to go against those acts of terror that were killing their people. He 
would welcome the resolve of those heads of state to continue fighting 
for peace and welcome the growth, development, and opportunity for the 
Pakistani people and the people of Afghanistan. He would welcome that. 
And I would simply say, we owe this giant of a man that kind of 
tribute.
  Words obviously are nice and nice to be heard. But I would hope that 
we would be most effective in carrying forth his legacy by actually 
putting to the test how we can resolve the conflict in Afghanistan 
without a protracted extension, but also to put the burden, the extra 
burden of bringing peace, on the Government of Afghanistan and its 
people working with us, with that aggressive spirit, can-do spirit that 
we can solve this and, yes, working with the people of Pakistan.
  Let me just relay a story in pictures and show you why this, again, 
hands-on diplomat was everywhere, meeting now with the President of 
Pakistan and developing a relationship, a relationship that was tough 
but good and sincere.
  And I pay tribute to the Pakistani Government for the kind words that 
they have said. And I think the meaningful words, particularly the 
Ambassador to the United States, who has expressed, from Pakistan, his 
deepest sympathy. Here with President Karzai. Often they were together 
and had frank and to-the-point conversation. You can't engage in hand-
to-hand diplomacy without being in place where those leaders are, 
making them feel comfortable that you're working on their behalf.
  This is his early stages with President Clinton, who appointed him to 
the United Nations. You can see that he moved around, and he was eager 
to be known as a person who, if he got the call, would come.
  Let me share some of these live pictures with him that have him and 
clearly speak to the action that Ambassador Holbrooke was.

                              {time}  2230

  This looks to me as the Pakistani flood when he was going into the 
camps, the most horrific flood over the last couple months that covered 
some two-thirds of Pakistan. People were moved from their land--
disastrous, devastating conditions. Ambassador Holbrooke did not miss 
an opportunity to go and to check, in this instance, on children and to 
see what they were doing.
  Here, you will find him not sitting in a traditional chair but 
sitting with the people. And I speculate that this is a meeting in 
Afghanistan, but here is a man and his child. And Ambassador Holbrooke 
is not standing. He is not sitting in a chair as we know it, but he is 
with the people and he is engaging. This is the style, the diplomatic 
style of Ambassador Holbrooke.
  Again, this is not in the comfort of the State Department or any 
office building, but here he is with the military personnel on one of 
our battlefields, and my speculation is that again this is in 
Afghanistan.
  Greeting again the people, letting them know that he cares. And, 
again, Ambassador Holbrooke on the move, meeting some of our allies, 
some of the coalition forces or the forces that work along with the 
Afghan forces. Here he is again in the field shaking hands and 
indicating his interests.
  Here, with women, as he greets them. Another out in the field, hands 
on, ready to serve. Meeting with our military personnel. And, again, 
always interacting, and our Ambassador to Afghanistan constantly being 
engaged.
  Involving himself again with the people and in the camps. Here, 
meeting with others who are in camp and being displaced, always 
working, always hands on.
  We can learn a lot from Ambassador Holbrooke, and we can learn a lot 
from his never say never attitude and his willingness, if you will, to 
ensure that the solution is his top priority.
  Let me just remind you again of how early Ambassador Holbrooke 
started his career. He had a tremendous career with the United States 
State Department, and he had actually begun with a response to 
President Kennedy's call to service for government work in the early 
1960s. He always had it in him. Ambassador Holbrooke was undoubtedly a 
public servant ever since he graduated from Brown University in 1962, 
when he joined the Foreign Service and was sent to Vietnam. A tough 
assignment.
  At the young age of 24, Richard Holbrooke, an expert on Vietnam 
issues, was appointed to a team of Vietnam experts, the Phoenix 
Program, under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Ambassador Holbrooke has 
always been a champion of peace and democracy, and this began at a 
young age with a profound dedication to the United States' 
international diplomacy efforts. Since beginning his career in foreign 
policy at such a young age, he obviously was at the forefront, at the 
1968 peace talks, director of the Peace Corps in Morocco, or as the 
editor of the Foreign Policy Magazine.
  Let me make that clear. He served as the director of the Peace Corps 
in that area in 1968. Ambassador Holbrooke was always and has always 
been an archetype of the United States' diplomacy, and his resume only 
serves to demonstrate how he has been consequential to diplomacy in 
some of our generation's most tumultuous events.
  So, my friends, I thought it was important, shocked, dismayed, and 
saddened by the loss of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, that we not fail 
to acknowledge his legacy in the hours after his passing; for there are 
still people dying in Afghanistan, civilians; there are still our 
soldiers on the front lines; there are still terrorists, Taliban, 
hiding in the mountains of Pakistan, allegations that Osama bin Laden 
is there as well.
  So we know that the world that Ambassador Holbrooke was so engaged in 
goes on, but we cannot allow it to go on without a pause for a moment 
to be able to say thank you to this giant of a man, bulldozer for 
peace, America's peacemaker, but a credit to the world; and, as I said 
in my earlier remarks, someone who loved this country and loved the 
ability to draw disaster and to draw nonbelievers out into the open and 
to make it right; to help the people in a disaster, and to draw those 
nonbelievers into the circle of diplomacy to get them working on peace. 
That is what you were about, Ambassador Holbrooke. I am glad to have 
been able to call you acquaintance, yes, friend, but most of all an 
American hero. Such a strong legacy.
  I know that this is a very sad time for so many, and so I rise on the 
floor this evening to be able again to offer my deepest sympathy. But 
what I would also say is that we have so much to be thankful for, so 
much to study and read, so much to emulate, so much to be able to go 
on, so much to use in the continuing effort for peace. We have got a 
roadmap left to us by Ambassador Richard Holbrooke. And remember an 
earlier comment that, if he asked you to do something, don't waste your 
time saying no, because more than likely, with a little pain, you will 
be there saying yes.
  So why don't we just keep his legacy ongoing, realize that he has 
asked us to continue to make peace. And as long as we fight against it, 
it is going to be painful, but if we can gather our thoughts together, 
if we can continue to work together, to work with this administration, 
the President, the Secretary of State, and the Congress, and really 
realize that the important end game is peace in Afghanistan and an 
independent peaceful Pakistan and a

[[Page H8507]]

peaceful region, but with the idea that people of those countries must 
take on that burden and really desire peace--maybe that is the message 
that they have gotten in this terrible tragedy, to desire peace and to 
fight for it--if that is the case, then this hands-on, lively, and 
well-versed diplomat's legacy will be embedded in the next days, hours, 
minutes, next couple of months when we might see a glimmer of sunshine 
reflecting the hands-on evidence of a man that never tired of seeking 
people to find peace.
  I hope that, as we mourn the loss of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, 
the tribute that we give to him that will be ongoing will be an 
unceasing quest for peace, and I hope that we will find it in his name.
  On behalf of the fallen men and women who have given their lives for 
peace in the United States military, on behalf of the people of the 
United States of America, we are indeed grateful for the service of 
Ambassador Holbrooke, and we tell his family thank you for sharing him 
with the American people.
  I submit for inclusion in the Record additional materials.
  With that, I humbly I yield back my time in the name of peace and 
respect for Ambassador Richard Holbrooke.
  On Monday, I was extremely saddened to hear about the death of 
Ambassador Richard Holbrooke. He was a great leader and a dedicated 
representative of peace and democracy throughout the world. I extend my 
deepest condolences to Ambassador Holbrooke's family, his wife Kati 
Marton, his brother, Andrew, and his children, David, Anthony, 
Christopher and Elizabeth.
  Ambassador Holbrooke has had a tremendous career with the United 
States State Department, which began with a response to President 
Kennedy's call to service for government work in the early 1960s. 
Ambassador Holbrooke was undoubtedly a public servant ever since his 
graduation from Brown University in 1962, when he joined the Foreign 
Service and was sent to Vietnam. At the young age of 24, Richard 
Holbrooke, an expert on Vietnam issues, was appointed to a team of 
Vietnam experts, the Phoenix Program, under President Lyndon B. 
Johnson. Ambassador Holbrooke has always been a champion of peace and 
democracy, and this began at a young age with a profound dedication to 
the United States' international diplomacy efforts.
  Since beginning his career in foreign policy at such an young age, 
Ambassador Holbrooke was always at the forefront of international 
political issues, whether it was as a public servant at the 1968 Paris 
Peace Talks, Director of the Peace Corps in Morocco, or as the editor 
of Foreign Policy magazine. Ambassador Holbrooke will always be an 
archetype of United States diplomacy, and his resume only serves to 
demonstrate how he has been consequential to diplomacy in some of our 
generation's most tumultuous events.
  Ambassador Holbrooke never relented in his efforts to expand his 
efforts to pursue U.S. interests of diplomacy and democracy 
internationally. In 1977, under President Carter, Richard Holbrooke was 
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. As the 
youngest person to have been appointed to that position, Ambassador 
Holbrooke oversaw the normalization of relations with China in 1978, 
and the warming of the Cold War during his tenure. His diplomatic 
achievements do not culminate with the establishment of diplomatic 
relations with China--instead they continued, and arguably exceeded 
anyone's expectations.
  When President Clinton took office in 1993, Mr. Holbrooke returned to 
work for the United States Government with the State Department. His 
first appointment was as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany, where he 
participated in the founding of the American Academy in Berlin as a 
cultural exchange center.

  In 1994, he returned to Washington after being appointed by President 
Clinton to be the Assistant Secretary of State for European and 
Canadian Affairs, where he was the lead negotiator in the Balkan Wars. 
He was strategic in establishing a lasting peace at the Dayton talks 
that undoubtedly saved thousands of lives. The 1995 Dayton peace 
accords ended the war in Bosnia--but it required an agreement by the 
three warring factions, the Serbs, the Croats, and the Bosnian Muslims. 
Holbrooke's role in this is lasting; he ended the three-year war, and 
helped develop the framework for a dividing Bosnia into two entities, 
one of the Bosnian Serbs and another of the Croatians and Muslims. 
Ambassador Holbrooke is a hero of U.S. diplomacy, and undoubtedly had a 
tremendous importance in facilitating peace, in whatever form, in 
Bosnia.
  After playing a key role in the Dayton Peace Talks, President Bill 
Clinton named Mr. Holbrooke the next representative of the United 
States to the United Nations. Ambassador Holbrooke demonstrated his 
drive to securing international peace, and his dedication to diplomatic 
efforts.
  His work never ceased, and it continued with President Obama. Under 
the Obama administration, Ambassador Holbrooke was appointed Special 
Envoy to Pakistan and to Afghanistan--a region that contains the United 
States' greatest national security concerns. Just as his responsibility 
unfolded in the Balkans, his responsibility in Pakistan and Afghanistan 
posed a major challenge that would not have an easy solution. As we all 
know, the problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan are multidimensional and 
are problems that could not be solved overnight. Ambassador Holbrooke 
knew this, yet he commendably took on the role, and worked courageously 
and diplomatically in a densely complicated region.
  Ambassador Holbrooke was the intermediary between Afghanistan, 
Pakistan and the United States. Ambassador Holbrooke was fighting, 
diplomatically, to stabilize the often unpredictable and always 
fluctuating region. The fight continues to be multifaceted, and 
Ambassador Holbrooke dealt with fragile economies, containing 
corruption within governments and elections, destabilizing the Taliban 
resurgency, a rampant narcotics trade, the presence of Al Qaeda, and 
maintaining peace and security, all while promoting United States 
diplomatic efforts. Representing the United States, Ambassador 
Holbrooke worked to promote economic development in Pakistan through 
the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Bill, and worked with the Afghani Government and 
administration to reduce U.S. combat troops and to forge a lasting 
peace in the region.
  He is an example to us all, his life was foreign policy, his 
dedication was to the United States, and his motivation was diplomacy. 
Ambassador Holbrooke will always be regarded as a true American 
diplomat, one who strived for international peace throughout his entire 
career, of nearly fifty years, as a public servant.

                  [From the USA Today, Dec. 14, 2010]

 `Bulldozer,' `Giant' of Diplomacy Holbrooke Dies--Among Credits: '95 
                              Bosnian Pact

                       (By the Associated Press)

       Washington--Richard Holbrooke, a brilliant and feisty U.S. 
     diplomat who wrote part of the Pentagon Papers, was the 
     architect of the 1995 Bosnia peace plan and served as 
     President Obama's special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, 
     died Monday, the State Department said. He was 69.
       Obama praised Holbrooke for making the country safer, 
     calling him ``a true giant of American foreign policy.''
       Holbrooke, whose forceful style earned him nicknames such 
     as ``The Bulldozer'' and ``Raging Bull,'' was admitted to the 
     hospital on Friday after becoming ill at the State 
     Department. The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations 
     had surgery Saturday to repair a tear in his aorta.
       Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called him one of 
     the nation's ``fiercest champions and most dedicated public 
     servants.''
       Holbrooke served under every Democratic president from John 
     F. Kennedy to Obama in a career that began with a foreign 
     service posting in Vietnam in 1962, and included time as a 
     member of the U.S. delegation to the Paris Peace Talks on 
     Vietnam.
       His sizable ego, tenacity and willingness to push hard for 
     diplomatic results won him both admiration and animosity.
       ``If Richard calls you and asks you for something, just say 
     yes,'' former secretary of State Henry Kissinger once said. 
     ``If you say no, you'll eventually get to yes, but the 
     journey will be very painful.''
       He learned to become extremely informed about whatever 
     country he was in. He would push for an exit strategy and 
     look for ways to get those who live in a country to take 
     responsibility for their own security.
       Holbrooke said in 1999 that he has no qualms about 
     ``negotiating with people who do immoral things.''
       ``If you can prevent the deaths of people still alive, 
     you're not doing a disservice to those already killed by 
     trying to do so,'' he said.
       With his decades of service and long list of 
     accomplishments, Holbrooke missed out on a tour as secretary 
     of State, a job he was known to covet. As U.N. ambassador, he 
     was a member of the Clinton Cabinet but his sometimes-brash 
     and combative style contrasted with that of Secretary of 
     State Madeleine Albright.
       Born in New York City on April 24, 1941, Holbrooke had an 
     interest in public service early on.
       At the Johnson White House, he wrote one volume of the 
     Pentagon Papers, an internal government study of U.S. 
     involvement in Vietnam that was completed in 1967. The study, 
     leaked in 1971 by a former Defense Department aide, had many 
     damaging revelations, including a memo that stated the reason 
     for fighting in Vietnam was based far more on preserving U.S. 
     prestige than preventing communism.
       One of his signature achievements was brokering the Dayton 
     Peace Accords that ended the war in Bosnia. He detailed the 
     experience in his 1998 memoir, To End a War.

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