[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 167 (Thursday, December 16, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10406-S10407]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING RICHARD HOLBROOKE

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, it is with great sadness that I pay 
tribute to the memory of my friend Richard Holbrooke, who passed away 
earlier this week. Richard was a masterful diplomat who brought his 
extraordinary skills to bear on some of the thorniest issues in U.S. 
foreign policy. Every step of the way, from his tremendous 
accomplishments at the Dayton Accords to his work as U.S. Special Envoy 
for Afghanistan and Pakistan, he showed his deep commitment to our 
country, and to serving the greater good the world over.
  I came to know Richard when we travelled to Africa together in 1999, 
when he was serving as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. He had 
never been to Africa before, and yet on the trip he was able to 
thoroughly grasp the complex issues facing the continent immediately. 
His brilliance was apparent, and it enabled him to identify emerging 
issues quickly and push for critical action. On that trip our purpose 
was to focus on the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but we 
also saw the incredible devastation of the HIV/AIDS crisis firsthand. 
Richard called then-U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and told him that 
the Security Council needed to address AIDS directly. When the 
Secretary-General responded that the Security Council only addressed 
security issues, Richard replied that this was, indeed, a security 
issue. He was right, and the Security Council's subsequent discussion 
was a turning point as the world community began to understand the 
depth and severity of the crisis on the African continent.
  In the years since, Richard always made time to discuss foreign 
policy issues with me, and he always truly listened and wanted to 
understand my point of view, even when we disagreed. This was 
especially true of his work on Afghanistan and Pakistan. We didn't 
always see eye to eye about U.S. policy in the region, but he always 
reached out to me and solicited my views, and I was so appreciative of 
that. Those efforts on his part said volumes about him and his 
thoughtful approach to the complex issues he worked on with such 
commitment and such skill.
  We had breakfast the morning after one of his last trips. I could see 
the toll his work was taking on him, but he was terrific to be with as 
usual. He was completely engaging and interested in my perspective, yet 
still managed to work the whole room, multitasking as always.
  Richard Holbrooke was an extraordinary man of many talents who spent 
his life building a better, more just

[[Page S10407]]

world for us all. His many accomplishments will live on as a testament 
to his profound commitment to our nation and to a life of public 
service. But for me, I will simply miss him as a friend.

                          ____________________