Richard Holbrooke Lauded by Presidents, VIPs

WASHINGTON - President Obama and Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton led tributes to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke at an extraordinary gathering of American and global VIPs Friday, lauding him as a giant of American diplomacy who left his mark on history not only as a peace negotiator but as a humanitarian who helped save countless lives in conflict-wracked nations.

The more than 1,000 people who filled the Kennedy Center for his memorial service reflected the impact that Holbrooke had on U.S. diplomacy from his early years as a young foreign service officer in Vietnam in the 1960s to his roles in helping restore U.S. relations with China, ending the war in Bosnia in 1995 and trying in his latest job to get Afghanistan and Pakistan to improve cooperation and step up the fight against terrorism.

Obama and the Clintons were joined at the service by Vice President Joe Biden, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen, national security adviser Tom Donilon and many of Washington's other powerful players, present and past, as well as friends and family. Internationally, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili came to pay tribute, along with government ministers from Afghanistan, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and many ambassadors.

Holbrooke was at a meeting with Hillary Clinton when he fell ill on Dec. 10. He had surgery to repair a tear in his aorta, the body's main artery, but died three days later at the age of 69.

Obama called the service a celebration of "an extraordinary life," calling Holbrooke "the leading light of a generation of diplomats" who believed in America's global leadership.

When they met in Chicago for the first time after his election, Obama said Holbrooke's "place in history was assured." But during their conversation, "he teared up when he began to talk about the importance of restoring America's place in the world. It was clear that Richard was not comfortable on the sidelines. He belonged in the arena."

"He made a difference," the president said. "His legacy is seen in the children of Bosnia who live to raise families of their own and in a Europe that is peaceful and united and free. And young boys and girls from the tribal regions of Pakistan to whom he pledged our country's friendship."

The president said the United States will carry on Holbrooke's quest for knowledge and desire to heal the world.

"Those who take the measure of his final mission will see his foresight," Obama said. "He understood that the futures of Afghanistan and Pakistan are tied together. In Afghanistan, he's cultivated areas like agriculture, governance, to seed stability. With Pakistan, he created new habits of cooperation to overcome decades of mistrust."

Holbrooke's forceful style earned him nicknames like "the Bulldozer" and "Raging Bull." Hillary Clinton drew laughter when she recalled that those who flew with him "never forgot the experience" because they were cornered in a small space with a "brilliant, blunt" man determined to make his point - and get his way. She said he would follow her into her hotel room, and even once in Pakistan into the ladies room.

"He was passionate ... about restoring the balance between our military and civilian operations. He was determined to bring that balance back through sheer force of will if necessary," she said.

"I feel his absence keenly, Clinton said. "It is a loss personally and for our country. . We face huge tasks ahead of us and it would be better if Richard were here driving us all crazy about what we needed to be doing. "

"There are few people in any time, but certainly in our time who can say I stopped a war. I made peace. I saved lives. I helped countries heal. Richard Holbrooke did these things. He believed that great men and women can change history, and he did. He wanted to be a great man so he could change history. He was and he did," the secretary of state said.

Her husband said he could never understand people who didn't appreciate Holbrooke and his "rough edges."

"I loved the guy because he could do - doing in diplomacy saves lives," the former president said. "In the end, what matters is there are a lot of people walking around on the face of the earth today or their children or their grandchildren because of the way he lived his life."

Annan, who was secretary-general when Holbrooke was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said he wanted Americans to understand how much Holbrooke was appreciated in the rest of the world, especially to victims of war.

"For him, the suffering of innocent civilians, be it in Bosnia, East Timor, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan or Afghanistan and suffering of his own fellow citizens were a matter of equal moral urgency. I never knew another diplomat or a statesman that I could say this about," he said.

"Richard was the American who came in peace, however well-disguised that sometimes seemed, to heal and restore, to reunite and rebuild and still the sounds of war," Annan said. "He served his country with skill and passion, and by serving his country he served the world."

The service began with a montage of photos of Holbrooke, ending with one of the U.N. headquarters building lighted with the words "Thank you Dick." There were many funny recollections from friends like Leslie Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, who ended his remarks saying "Dick was fearless and adventurous and how shall I put it, prone to excess - I loved the excesses."

There were also moments of deep emotion and poignance, especially from his wife, the author Kati Marton, and his children.

Marton said he took on his last job in Afghanistan and Pakistan, despite misgivings from friends.

"He was just going to give this last task, as he had the others, everything he had," she said, her voice cracking. "From Richard I learned that a life of meaning is worth more than a life of ease. And perhaps even more than a long life. We had many plans for our next chapter. None of those plans involved anything other than a life of full engagement. ... I will miss him forever."