'The Diplomat' Premieres on HBO

When President Obama first asked Hillary Clinton to be secretary of state, she not only declined, she immediately suggested that Richard Holbrooke would be a much better choice.  Like Bill Clinton, who had to propose three times before she would accept marriage, Barack Obama had to ask several times before she accepted the cabinet position.  But she had conditions.  One was that at-risk regions required special attention and needed special advisers.  Holbrooke was brought into the administration as special adviser on Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Holbrooke died during Hillary's tenure at DOS, and his son, David, has made a documentary about his father's remarkable life and career called The Diplomat.  It premiered tonight on HBO and is excellent.  Both Bill and Hillary Clinton were interviewed extensively along with many who worked with Holbrooke.  I give it five stars. Don't miss it!  It is a must see!



Read more about this award-winning documentary here at the website >>>>





One of the diplomatic tragedies of Bill Clinton's administration depicted in this documentary occurred when Holbrooke was attempting to broker peace in the Balkans. A vehicle carrying three members of our negotiation team rolled off a very dangerous road on the way to Sarajevo.  It tumbled down a mountain, hit a land mine, caught fire, and killed the occupants.
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The documentary emphasizes Holbrooke's belief in the lessons of history.  We should remember these going forward.  There is much unfinished business from our engagement in Southeast Asia.  We may call it the Viet Nam War, but it was larger.  Incursions into Cambodia, which Richard Nixon announced saying it was "not an invasion,"and carpet-bombing in Laos are witness to the breadth of the conflict and damage left behind. Hillary Clinton knows and respects the lessons of Viet Nam.