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Diplomat Richard Holbrooke's Last Words
By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 14, 2010
Modified Dec 14, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Dec 14, 2010
Modified Dec 14, 2010
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Influential diplomat Richard Holbrooke lived in Manhattan but died in Washington Monday night after two long operations failed to repair a tear to his aorta. For the past two years, Holbrooke served as Obama's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and had worked for every Democratic president since the late 1960s, including a stint as President Clinton's representative at the UN. He was known as a tough, sometimes abrasive negotiator who also made millions as an investment banker on Wall Street.
Henry Kissinger told the Washington Post, "If Richard calls you and asks you for something, just say yes. If you say no, you'll eventually get to yes, but the journey will be very painful." Holbrooke's final words, uttered to his Pakistani surgeon: "You've got to stop this war in Afghanistan." (Andy Daglas contends "You've got to stop this war in Afghanistan" was the name of Holbrooke's sled as a child.)
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afghanistan
richard holbrooke
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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