CNN is reporting that Richard Holbrooke, U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, is currently in critical condition after being operated on to repair a tear in his aorta.
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Bloomberg News has more:
Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is in the intensive care unit at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, according to a hospital official who asked not to be identified.
Holbrooke, 69, has spent the last two years traveling to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and seeking support from allies to help promote economic development and stabilize the neighboring countries that have been plagued by terrorism.
Holbrooke felt ill while working yesterday on the seventh floor of the State Department headquarters, where Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s office is located, said Philip J. Crowley, the department spokesman.
CNN is reporting that his family is with him at the hospital. I'll post more information when and if I get it.
Update [2010-12-11 11:26:22 by RenaRF]: A little background on Holbrooke's public service:
- U.S. Foreign Service (1962-1969), Vietnam
- Director, Peace Corps (1970-1976), Morocco
- Assistant Secretary of State (1977-1981), East Asia & Pacific Affairs
- U.S. Ambassador to Germany (1993-1994)
- Assistant Secretary of State (1994-1996), European & Canadian Affairs
- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1999-2001)
- U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan & Pakistan (2009-present)
From 1981-1993, Holbrooke had what is being called the "Wall Street Years". He joined a private firm as VP for Public Strategies and in that capacity, was a senior advisor to Lehman Brothers.
One of his more notable accomplishments as UN Ambassador was to host a meeting of the UN Security Council specifically to discuss the problem of AIDS in Africa. After leaving his poisition as UN Ambassador, he took an anemic Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria and grew it from 17 members to 225 members. It is currently an important focal point for fighting these three diseases.
Update [2010-12-11 11:26:22 by RenaRF]: Politico (I know, barf) has more information:
The special U.S. representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan was taken there Friday after collapsing during a meeting on the State Department's seventh floor, where his longtime friend Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's office is located.
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It was a very long surgery, an official and friend said Saturday, saying "either way, I think his life has permanently changed."
In April, Holbrooke was grounded by doctors from traveling due to clogged arteries, and underwent a procedure to clear them.
Update [2010-12-11 12:16:39 by RenaRF]: H/T to msmacgyver in the comments for providing this YouTube video of a Holbrooke appearance on Rachel Maddow's show: