ABC News has learned that Richard Holbrooke has died.

[jefferson_dem]

Source: ABC News

ABC News has learned that Richard Holbrooke, the US Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, has died.

On Friday, Holbrooke was rushed to the hospital with a torn aorta. He went through more than 20 hours of surgery. Earlier this evening, speaking at the US State Department, President Obama sang Holbrooke's praises and called him "a tough son of a gun."

Holbrooke, 69, was a former ambassador to the United Nations and served as chief negotiator at the Dayton Peace Accords, which ended the war in Bosnia.

Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/12/richard-holbrooke-has-died.html

---

RIP, Mr. Ambassador. We will miss you.

[monmouth]

1. Heartbreaking, RIP Sir and a job well done...n/t

[MinneapolisMatt]

2. Oh that's awful.

My thoughts are with his family and friends.

[tekisui]

3. Damn. Travel well, Ambassador.

[jefferson_dem]

4. President Obama Praises Ailing Holbrooke as 'A Tough Son of A Gun' (VIDEO)

President Obama Praises Ailing Holbrooke as 'A Tough Son of A Gun'
December 13, 2010 6:52 PM

President Obama dropped by a holiday reception in honor of foreign ambassadors in the State Department’s ornate Benjamin Franklin Room to thank them for their work, but before that he praised the ailing Ambassador Holbrooke, the administration’s point-man on Afghanistan and Pakistan who underwent 20 hour surgery over the weekend to repair a tear in his aorta.

“Richard Holbrooke has been serving this nation with distinction for nearly 50 years,” he said. “He is simply one of the giants of American foreign policy. And as anyone who has worked with him knows, or has had the clear disadvantage of negotiating across the table from him, Richard is relentless. He never stops, he never quits.”

The President met with Holbrooke’s wife, Kati Marton, and family shortly before coming out to speak and they were in the audience, as were members of Holbrooke’s interagency team.

“Tonight we are all praying for Richard’s recovery. To Kati and the family our thoughts are with you. And I know that everyone here joins me when I say that America is more secure and the world is a safer place because of the work of Ambassador Richard Holbrooke. So, Michelle and I, to the entire family, just know that we are thinking and praying for you, for you and for Richard, every single day. And he is a tough son of a gun, so we are confident that, as hard as this is, that he is going to be putting up a tremendous fight,” he said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking earlier in the evening, also praised Holbrooke.

“Has been a giant of the diplomatic corps for almost 50 years. He is practically synonymous with American foreign policy of that time period. He’s taken on the hardest assignments from Vietnam and the Balkans to Afghanistan and Pakistan and this week his doctors are learning what diplomats and dictators around the world have long known, there’s nobody tougher than Richard Holbrooke. He’s a fierce negotiator. I’m sure there are some shoulders here tonight that are still a little bit sore from his arm twisting, but he is a fiercer friend and a beloved mentor and an invaluable counselor,” she said of her longtime friend.

“Tonight, our thoughts and prayers are with Ambassador Holbrooke, his wife Kati, and his family as well,” she said.

<SNIP>

VIDEO at LINK - http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/12/president-obama-praises-ailing-holbrooke-as-a-tough-son-of-a-gun.html

[IamK]

24. Maybe Sean Penn will do his eulogy.....

He appeared in Sean Penn's critically acclaimed film Into the Wild (2007) and received an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role at the 80th Academy Awards. This renders Holbrook, at age 82, the oldest nominee in Academy Award history in the Best Supporting Actor category. On December 20, 2007, Holbrook was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his work in the film.<5> In late August 2007 through mid-September he starred as the narrator in the Hartford Stage production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town.

[tishaLA]

47. that's HAL Holbrook

[timefortherevolution]

55. Let me apologize up front—that has to be one of my parents posting. LOL.

[caseymoz]

68. Reminds me of a letter to a newspaper . . .

. . . during the Reagan Administration, saying that they had just heard that Lennon's tomb (writer spelled it Lenin's) was in Moscow, and thought the president should put aside political differences with this great musician and give him a proper burial in the US.

[nyy1998]

66. RIP Ambassador Holbrooke, you've served your country well

[sasha031]

5. That is so sad, my heart goes out to his family and friends

[Hissyspit]

6. ABC: Richard Holbrooke Has Died

Source: ABC News

Richard Holbrooke Has Died
December 13, 2010 7:29 PM

PrintRSSSHARE:EmailMore
ABC News has learned that Richrd Holbrooke, the US Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, has died.

On Friday, Holbrooke was rushed to the hospital with a torn aorta. He went through more than 20 hours of surgery.

-Jake Tapper

Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/12/richard-holbrooke-has-died.html

[redirish28]

7. But wasn't he reported to be in stable condition on Sunday?

[aquart]

9. When they went in a second time....

I hoped I was wrong. But I knew.

[Tx4obama]

10. They said 'critical but stable', yesterday. n/t

[NotThisTime]

19. Critical but Stable means not so much :( Very sad news, RIP....

[du_grad]

63. Aortic Aneurysm is extremely serious

I have worked in a clinical laboratory since 1974. AA is a blood bank emergency. These patients go through lots and lots of blood. Back in the mid-80's I remember one patient going through at least 35-40 units of packed cells (i.e. bags of blood), and lots of FFP (fresh frozen plasma) which has clotting factors and helps keep up volume. The surgery started on one shift and ended up impacting all three shifts as far as setting up blood, FFP, etc. I think the patient passed away anyway. The chances of death with this condition are very real.

My former chief technologist was diagnosed with aortic aneurysm in the early 80's. She was retired, in her 70's and had worked in clinical laboratories since she trained in 1949. She chose not to have surgery and she died a day or so later. She knew what she would have to go through.

RIP.

[bdamomma]

8. oh that is terrible.

:-(

[Tx4obama]

11. R.I.P. n/t

[Odin2005]

59. OMG, I thought he was getting better!

:(

[JDPriestly]

69. How do you get a torn aorta?

[MidwestTransplant]

12. Blessed are the peacemakers......

A great loss. He was out there doing the tough work.

[Divine Discontent]

22. blessed, they are. RIP Mr Holbrooke.

[Kolesar]

25. He was an enthusiastic supporter of going into Iraq in 2003...eom

[democrat2thecore]

13. RIP, Amb. Holbrooke. -nt

[FailureToCommunicate]

14. RIP Richard Holbrooke. He was involved in so many good

efforts...

http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/19987/holbrooke_stresses_international_involvement_in_addressing_the_afpak_problem.html

[Gin]

16. R.I.P.

[nolabear]

15. What a tragedy. I'll bet he'd hate like hell not knowing how all this turns out.

As someone said, he was out there doing the good work.

[TwilightGardener]

17. RIP, sir. Thank you for your service to the country.

[dkf]

18. I can't believe it...

I don't understand this condition but I thought he was stable. Just awful.

[UpInArms]

20. The losses are piling up ... so very sorry and saddened ..

rest well, Ambassador

[elleng]

21. More, NYT:

Richard C. Holbrooke, U.S. Diplomatic Troubleshooter, Dies at 69.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/world/14holbrooke.html?hp

[JI7]

23. i always enjoyed hearing what he had to say

i will miss him

[democrank]

26. Rest in peace

[skorpo]

27. Richard Holbrooke Dies

Source: ABC

Richard Holbrooke Has Died

December 13, 2010 7:29 PM
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ABC News has learned that Richard Holbrooke, the US Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, has died.




-Jake Tapper

December 13, 2010 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (15)

Read more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/12/richard-holbrooke-has-died.html

[merci_me]

28. May he have a peaceful journey

Deepest sympathy to his family.

[OregonBlue]

29. I'm sorry to hear this and I feel for his family.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

30. What dreadful news...

Safe passage to him...

My deepest condolences to his family and friends, and to all who loved and respected this amazing man.

[bbinacan]

31. RIP n/t

[liberal N proud]

32. RIP

[eleny]

33. So very sad

Rest in peace.

[Mean Gene]

34. RIP n/t

[Vadem]

35. RIP Richard. Condolences to his family and friends....n/t

[pam4water]

36. R.I.P.

[YvonneCa]

37. So sad. I was really hoping he would...

...pull through. :patriot:

[WinkyDink]

38. Killed Diana, too, that torn aorta.

[Duer 157099]

39. And John Ritter, too. n/t

[DeadEyeDyck]

40. RIP

[Haole Girl]

41. He fought to the end

Very sad news. :-(

[robinlynne]

42. Are you sure? I just saw BBC news and they said he is going to undergo another surgery.

[MineralMan]

43. Sad. He was a good diplomat.

[WheelWalker]

44. And the Wheel turns... nt

[femmocrat]

45. Such a loss for our country. RIP, Mr. Ambassador.

I always hoped to see him as Sec. of State.

:patriot:

[tishaLA]

46. RIP. A smart guy gone too soon

[JohnnyLib2]

48. A great loss.

RIP.

[KT2000]

49. So sad

He worked for peace in his life - a life well lived.
RIP

[glinda]

50. Horrible news. RIP Sir.

[Robb]

51. Damn it.

Thank you for your service, Mr. Ambassador.

[Jennicut]

52. Sad news tonight. My Grandfather died on the operating table while they tried to repair his heart.

This brings back those memories to me. RIP, Mr. Holbrooke. I was hoping that he would pull through but it didn't sound good yesterday.

[EFerrari]

53. Holbrooke was a hawk and firmly in the pocket of tptb

and I hope his family has some comfort around them tonight.

[jefferson_dem]

57. Stay classy.

[EFerrari]

72. When I need advice from you, I'll ask for it.

[wisteria]

54. I am so sorry to hear that he has died. Sad,sad news. He leaves us with a void that can not be

filled. He had a unique blend of foreign policy expertise and vision.

[UndertheOcean]

56. May he rest in peace , nothing can harm him now , unlike us

Life is too painful anyway

[DarthDem]

58. Sad - - RIP

RIP, Mr. Ambassador. I always liked your style, grace, and sweeping intelligence. We'll miss you.

[tpsbmam]

60. Sad, sad loss. RIP, sir, knowing that your rent is paid in full on earth.

and we are better for your tireless service.

“Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time.”

Marian Wright Edelman

:cry:

[former9thward]

61. R.I.P A great service to your country.

[nevergiveup]

62. A Giant is gone.

RIP, Mr. Holbrooke and thank you for your tireless service to your country.

[Renew Deal]

64. I'm sad to hear that.

A huge loss for this country. :cry:

[emilyg]

65. Sad. Good man.

[EmeraldCityGrl]

67. Why no mention of his involvement with AIG?

From February 2001 to July 2008 Holbrooke was a director of AIG.

Holbrooke got out two months before the meltdown.

Is there anyone in this administration without ties to Wall Street?

Sometimes it doesn't seem so.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/19/obama-envoy-richard-holbr_n_177161.html

[UrbScotty]

70. Very sorry to hear this. (nt)

[trud]

71. Hillary

For those who occasionally say it would be better if Hillary had been elected, this from the Times obituary on Holbrooke (which by the way skated around Holbrooke's affair with Kati Marton, his third wife, when she was still married to Peter Jennings):

"He helped his boss, Mrs. Clinton, whom he had supported in her presidential bid, to persuade President Obama to send more troops to Afghanistan"