time and again, those voices have been proven wrong. but only because of the service and sacrifice of exceptional men and women. those who answered the call of history and made america's cause their own. like the country served, richard contained complexities, so full of life, he was a man both confident in himself, and curious about others. alive to the world around him. with a character that is captured in the words of matthew arnold poem that he admired. but often in the den of strike, their arises an unspeakable

desire. after the knowledge of the buried life. the thirst to spend our fire and restless force in tracking our true original course. belonging to inquire into the mystery of this heart which beats so wild, so deep in us, to know once our lives come and where they go. richard is gone now, but we carry with him -- with us, his thirst to know, to grasp, and to heal the world around him. his legacy is seen in the children of bosnia who lived to raise families of their own. and a europe that's peaceful and united and free. and young boys and girls from the tribal region of pakistan to whom he pledged our country's friendship, and in the role that

america continues to play. there's a light to all who inspire to live in freedom, and in dignity. five decades after a young president called him to serve, we can confidently say that richard bore the burden to ensure the survival and success of liberty. he made a difference. we must now carry that work forward in our time. may god bless the memory of richard holbrook and may god bless the united states of america. [applause] [applause]

>> exactly five weeks ago, as the news spread, many of us gathered here today and found ourselves trading phone calls and e-mails, we were activating the intercontinental holbrook network. during the three day vigil that followed, a lot of us gathered in the lobby of the george washington university hospital just four blocks from here. we spent sometime grasping at straws on a subject that few of us knew much about: cardiology. but there was much more talk about richard's heart in another sense. it was a big heart. and it was a young heart.

and it was young throughout his life. what a life it was. it wasn't just a career. it was a saga. and it had a plot that underscored his sheer talent, his energy, his versatility, what's been called his audacity of determination. there he is at 24, in the white house, helping wage the vietnam war. at 27, in paris, helping forge the vietnam peace. at 29 in morocco, directing the peace corps. at 36, presiding over the state

department bureau responsible for east asia and as david reminded us, the south pacific. and that job, his office was on the sixth floor of the department of state which on those premises is considered close to heaven since it's just below the office of the secretary of state. so flash ahead 30 years. there he is again. back in foggy bottom. but this time on the first floor. close to the cafeteria. he took pleasure in showing off what he called his huddle. it gave him a chance to laugh at the ironies that attended the drama and occasionally the melodrama of his life. so richard had a playful heart too. but it was still a proud heart.

and there was plenty of room in it for pride in his colleagues. especially as coti and president obama have stressed, his younger colleagues. mentoring often meant pushing proteges to higher positions, on higher floors. his was a generous heart as well, but most of all, his was a brave heart. he showed current of many kinds, intellectual, political, diplomatic, moral courage, but physical courage too. most recently during the past two years in the bad lands along the doran line where he was a

prize target on al qaeda's hit list, but where he was also revered by the destitute, the displace, and the disenfranchised. starting sometime around last summer, richard began thinking seriously about writing a book. reflecting what he had experienced and what he had learned going back over a half a century to vietnam. he joked that the title of that book might be to end all those wars. but that project would have to wait. because he still had a job to do. helping president obama and secretary clinton find the right way to end the war at hand. that brings us back to friday five weeks ago.

there he is, in the secretary of state's office on the 7th floor, close to heaven, doing his life's work, the life that he loved, doing it bravely and proudly to the end. [applause] [applause] >> for 41 years, richard holbrook and i were collaborators, protectors, allies, business partners, and most importantly friends. we met in 1969 at princeton university when he was a mid career fellow and i was a graduate student. he arrived that fall with his distinctive sound and furry and a rare degree of wisdom having

already done some heavy lifting in saigon and paris and the state department and white house. richard was just 29 years old. from day one, it was apparent that he was a person of stunning intelligence, a laser focus, and a profound sense of history. he was a geyser of energy who was 24/7 before the phrase was even minted. he rarely slept, his appetite for books, the media, people dead or alive, sports, movies, theater, travel, work, and yes, friendship was almost unlimited. i had the privilege of working shoulder to shoulder with him in the carter administration of spending 18 years as a business partner in three different firms, sharing endless personal and family experiences, talking and talking and talking as he

would say sometimes after a month and sometimes after just a few days, we really need to get caught up. to put it mildly, richard wasn't always easy. i toll him -- i told him many times how much i valued his friendship. i told him when i signed up to be his friend, i didn't anticipate it was a full-time job. [laughter] >> over four decades, i watch's richard compassion deepen, and capacity for the significant contribution expand. he was relentless, and occasionally exhausting. he was enduring, larger than life, amusing, and easily amused, and indisputably committed to the cause of peace. he was a true patriot. richard holbrook was one of a kind. if you ever hear someone say that guy is just like holbrook,

it's not true. his loyalty and dedication to his friends was never in doubt. he always knew what it meant to stand up and bare witness. there was no fair weather dimension to him. finally, our family so appreciated richard's turn to washington. the late afternoon calls asking where's dinner. the great conversations, the memories and walks and endless review of the challenges that we face. the only downside of these last two years is that i know now 200 times more about the power grid of kandahar than i want to know. [laughter] >> in closing, i want to pay tribute to kofi. plain and simply, richard adore ed you and everything about you. to david and anthony, your

father treasured you beyond your imagination. and to lizy and christopher, richard was so proud of who you are. and i can see why. all of you so enriched his life. richard loved history, and he made it. he loved his country, and he made it proud. he loved his family and friends, and he made us all better. richard holbrook was irresistible, ire repressible, and irreplaceable. [applause] [applause] >> picture our friend, at a

donkey kong arcade game throwing in quarters and splashing all over the place. hour after hour. failing each time to achieve the bonus of that game, the epic win. cursing at the machine, banging it, accusing the donkey kong company of war crimes, never stopping, never giving up. dick holbrook was like the rest of us. only much more so.

we mourn him today because we expected even more of him. and he expected more of himself. he finally got that epic win at dayton. but we wanted more and he wanted more. and we mourn him today for the next dayton to promise lost. others here today have remembered him well, his accomplishments formidable, him formidable. i want to give you -- i want to remember the dick holbrook that i knew. and miss so very much. what a -- what a handful of a

guy. [laughter] >> what a gem. what a character. what a whole friend. whatever job i had, he took whatever time was necessary to tell me how to do it. [laughter] >> in the middle of one of his knockdowns with melosvich, he said i got the son of a b here to promise you a box of cuban cigars. but this guy, he lies all the time. don't you, slobo?

don't count on those cigars. [laughter] >> consistency was not a goblin of the holbrook mind. [laughter] >> you know, but it was just too high of a price to pay for pointing it out. [laughter] >> whatever i did, he could come back and point out all of my inconsistencies. and then each of us would proclaim we never contradicted ourselves. ever. we started yelling at each other, and it was great fun. life was easier when he was around. you know, you didn't have to

read a book. you didn't have to go to a movie. you didn't have to see a play. he would tell you all about it in the greatest detail with full analysis, and if you were lucky, he did not add the historical context. [laughter] >> depressingly, really depressingly, he actually knew what he was talking about. never, never forget dick's fragility, his vulnerability. he was talking to one of his dearest friends from vietnam days, peter turnoff not so long ago. dick blurted out to him, you know, everything was easy for you and for the others. for me i had to fight for everything.

: bobby deniro knows everything uses, bobby deniro knows everything about the united nations. and dickens pulled away and i embarrassed in a manner, deniro

looking down at his shoes and he finally raises its head, into my eyes and says, what's all this u.n. shit? [laughter] he said it. dick was a leader of men and women and interns. [laughter] widely prone to endless troubles, never paralyzed by self-doubt [laughter] endlessly searching for legendary feat, seemingly

immortal. you know, i think everybody in this room felt it was a feat to get through any meal without talking about dick hol rooke. we talked to him all the time. for many years to come, we'll still be talking about him. because it was like the rest of us, dick was, only much, much more. [applause] >> .holbrooke, that holbrooke was the way my mother referred

to richard. she was a discerning women. she recognized early in the 1960s his pores, his intelligence and his charm. that whole holbrooke she declared is my fifth child and so in a stroke, my friend from saigon days he came my brother. polly fritchey did another thing. she helped introduce richard to the washington he aspired to enter, the city of statesmanship of power, of ambition and he took to it with enthusiasm and confidence, meeting those he admired, dean acheson, russ cabot lodge, and david bruce, chip folland, george cannon am appalled that the, april herriman, clerk clippard, those

great men of our past who shaped america's international role in soccer fortunes to the coldwater richard studied their style and their record and one time he parted company with their consensus over vietnam he had set his sights on joining their ranks. and so, over time he did. richard also concentrated in those theaters on the great figures that for press and broadcast, journalism, forging friendships with them, earning their admiration and later even practicing their trade, recognizing the huge power of media in shaping national policy and in realizing his own ambition. from the beginning, richard was

a determined man. he saw his star and he followed it. i was privileged to be with him on his journey, sharing friends, adventures, ideas, his love of history and almost intimate secrets. through his intermec at times and are bad ones, through moments of triumph and those of disappointment, he was at constant in his attention to me as he was predict the bullet in his demands on our friendship. for our richard did nothing but half measure. richard was a man of many dimensions in contradiction. his passion for work, new ideas, experiences, excitement for legendary, just as was his appetite for competition, cool

and confrontation. he was restless, insatiable, ever questing. but his will to succeed in his will to leave his mark, they were driven by more than simple ambition. at first i felt close to him, did not recognize to richard's humanitarian humanity in his determination to act on it. only over time did i come to realize that as much as he believed in himself and his ideas, he believed passionately in this country and in america's power and obligation to help those in need. no site moved richard more than the spectacle of injustice and suffering. i thought richard time and again set-aside calculation, reject

caution and engage himself in this country to find haven for indochina both people come to those utilized in bosnia, distribute relief goods to flood the dems in pakistan, drive humanitarian intervention in sudan and congo and plead the cause of victims of hiv/aids. all of us, all of us will remember richard service, his service in shaping this nation's policies towards china, vietnam, korea, the united nations, the balkans, afghanistan and pakistan. but i will treasure particularly my memories of richard's humanity and, those virtues of his pitch and above and his compassion, which i witnessed at the same time i experienced the

intensity of his friendship. the holbrooke occupied a huge space in my life. i admit to being devastated by his passing, but then, i share that loss with all of you, especially to you, connie, david and nate, chris and lizzie. [applause] >> early on, not long after the administration started, i spotted richard talking to somebody just inside the west wing of the white house. forgetting where i was for a minute, i charged up to him very spontaneously to embrace him shouting, dick!

i was like a catcher embracing the! in the world series. no longer had a pin myself to his chest that i realized he wasn't returning the hug. indeed he seemed to be pretending as though you'd never seen me before. as i peeled myself off of his torso and trudged away, i noticed that the person he was talking to was dick. i learned this is the first substantive conversation about afghanistan they've ever had. yamaichi relegation pass quickly because minutes later richard came charging out of the west wing, chase me down, give me a mighty hug and twirl and exclaimed, i bet that it's never happened before in the history of the white house. people don't hug in washington, samantha. [laughter] just another holbrooke tutorial. holbrooke mentees had been

teased, interrogated, lectured, exaggerated about and above all taught. we were each completely incredulous when he soon gained, why the is richard holbrooke making time for me? he taught us back sanitized history, but he also taught us that play in mischief for the saving grace of serious work. although he had infinite time for us, we didn't have infinite time to get to the point. what do you think this is you'd ask? the council on foreign relations? [laughter] as an editor, he decimated our prose, saying if it takes you this many words, you don't know what you're saying. when i complained that he was repeating himself, he'd say there is no indication you've retained what i told you, so i'm trying again. [laughter] for all of the historical and bureaucratic wisdom that he

doled out and for all of the stories in which he figured, we actually never appreciated the scope of richard's achievement for a very simple and counterintuitive reason. he was not in fact the hero of a known stories. richard titus when you build a personal authority in the world of you should sprinkle it like dust on others. you just said something truly significant event expectedly. he would try to remain the tapes in his head to figure what it would have been. not since the long telegram have a seen a more important memo he would tally stunned number of this aspect team. he was holbrooke, r., h. he had built the branding from scratch. he knew it came to mean something and he doled out his anointing liberally, knowing the attention he could generate further people. when i wrote about, he ordered 65 hardcover copies and send them to friends insisting they

read all 600 pages about genocide before their next meeting. bragging about his aspect teamcoming was like a 10-year-old running to the glories of each yankee in its lineup. he especially admired those on his team up with qualities that he knew were recessive in him. finally, richard taught us that love and loyalty are the foundation of all else. love and loyalty to america, his president, his principal, his team and above all his family. as he wrote to the hospital, he kept saying over and over again, there's so many people i love. there's so many people i love. all of you, david, anthony, sir, lizzie, christopher and katie. you are perfect under his arm.

you are a bulldozer and untrammeled pull. on our last double date, i asked him if he had taken off his bluetooth long enough to notice how hot you look. he got that goofy grin, looked over at you again and i'm pretty sure blushed. [applause] [inaudible] [inaudible]

>> -- and for the powerful man who also showed basic compassion. pray for him the injustice and beneath equal destiny for us pray for us always at the hour of our death. ♪ ♪ ♪

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♪ ♪ ♪ [applause] [applause] >> kb, mr. president, my memories of richard do not stress as far back as those of so many of you and yet i feel i've known him all my life.

every hour with him was crowded. every outing and adventure. every conversation turned into a debate the more you fight back, the deeper you god. richard was the quintessential washington know it all. or was he? for what i loved most about him was his natural curiosity the man was monumentally, if not exasperatingly, interested in everything. art, music, culture, religion, politics, how he'd love to talk politics. i'm happy to say that i've never challenged him in that either. i just nodded till he was

finished and then slid him the check. [laughter] but the sheer breadth of his knowledge and his thirst for more with staggering. some people's minds were like steel traps. richards was like electronic -- a lint trap. our first meeting to discuss a trip you're taking together had the feel of an interview or more accurately a final exam. with me playing the part of pupil. it made my confirmation hearing look like in appearance and are you smarter than a fifth grader? [laughter] frankly at the end he declared me fit to travel. after all, i had the airplane. [laughter]

the trip proved to be wonderful, classic holbrooke trip. he ranged with us to meet for people across afghan and pakistani society, parliamentarians and farmers, students and scholars. the most intriguing was the hellenic council we attended in kabul, a gathering of clerics. it came out in the discussion of one of their number had been a taliban leader in his former life. that was all richard needed to hear. he latched onto that part i like like a terrier on a t-bone. [laughter] assailing him with questions about taliban life until the man probably wish he had stayed a part of the insurgency. [laughter] i like about that time was which one of them i would be more afraid that if, the taliban or richard. not an easy color.

but richard has always had a rate. these were questions that need answering. and far better for those questions to come from a statesman than from a sailor. we were there together in that room, but he was rightly and delete. richard and i were seared by her experiences in the vietnam war. we no doubt learned different lessons from that war, but the one we know shared with about the need for strong, civil, military relations, with the emphasis on civilian leadership. he even asked me to co-author a book with him about it. i can just see the chapter titles. how to win friends and ticked off everybody else. [laughter] everything i know i learned by listening, now shut up, it is my turn.

[laughter] and media relations for dummies, how to write their headlines for them. i think it would've been a bestseller no doubt with his mouth on the cover. but it was just like richard to want to search himself that way, just like him to want to explore a new subject and challenge his own. he understood better than i do very wisdom of seeking wisdom. as one poet put it, each and every man is a discoverer. he begins by discovering bitterness, saltiness, the seven colors of the rainbow in the 20 some letters of the alphabet. he goes on to visages, masks, animals and stars. he ends with out or with faith and the almost certainty of his own ignorance. richard was never afraid of that ignorance and yet he was never so arrogant as to think he had

mastered. he was the ultimate discoverer. and now falls to us to keep asking the questions he posed, to keep discovering the things he wanted to know and to keep making the difference he so clearly made. because i guarantee you when we meet up with them again, there's going to be a pop quiz. [laughter] [applause] >> dear kati, dear friends, i begin today by extending my very deepest sympathies to you, kati, to the people of the united

states on the loss of a great american. richard is remembered for his historic contributions to america's national security of nearly 50 years. but richard was in the truest how most general sense of the term a citizen of the world. and so a deep loss has been felt far from this city and this country. it is perhaps difficult for many of his fellow americans to appreciate just how much richard met two people beyond the shores, to foreign diplomats, aid workers, presidents, prime ministers and u.n. officers. even more to the terms of

distant war-torn countries. for him, as we've had the suffering of innocents be in bosnia, the democratic public of congo, sudan, all of afghanistan and the suffering of his own fellow citizens for a martyr as equal. i never knew another diplomat or a statesman that i could say this about. richard was the american who came in peace, however well disguised. to him to reunite and to rebuild and though the sounds of water. he said his country was skilled and passionate and by serving his country he served the world.

at the united nations where he had the privilege of working closely with richard, this translated into a fierce commitment to my continent of africa into the struggle against one of his greatest enemies, hiv/aids. almost exactly 10 years ago today on the 19th of january, 2001, richard attended his last meeting of the united nations security council as ambassador for his country. it was a transformative meeting, convened to discuss the threat of hiv/aids to international security and role of the security council and conference, something richard quite literally invented from scratch. i have told them it's not going to work.

he said we will have to discuss it. it's killing people, decimated security policies. it is of course an issue of international security for richard, the personal and professional were never equally divided. he simply cared too much about people to think of foreign-policy as mere distractions about great power ships were grand strategy. and so during richard's tenure as ambassador at the u.n., the security council became merely another center for richard's dinner parties and the person he set about was improving the guest list. for richard said the security council meeting of the

millennium on hiv/aids. vice president gore was quartered into coming to newark to preside over the counselor. for a meeting on peacemaking and central africa, nothing on the president of nelson mandela and see the plane would do. and so richard convinced him to make a trip from south africa and preside over the meeting. and then, he invited jesse helme to the security council. he was determined to get the u.s. to take over a billion dollars. but i did not realize that was part of the deal or that i should go to speak at jesse helme on the monitor with colleagues. [laughter] he invited me after the event.

he said my step pio is looking at it is extremely portend. so anyway, we went in to my amazement at one point i thought i saw the senator and they shook my head and i said i don't think man and i did that. as part of the job, richard did argue. but the beauty and the power of richard's unique brand of diplomacy was that if a course was important to him, it had to be the most important cause for anyone anywhere and then of course how could one say no? over the years of our professional relationship, richard and i developed a keen

friendship that had both kati and i just called. a strong and special bond was made even more so by kati's book. by the way, venus sisters sends you her deepest sympathies. but over the years i came to admire about richard, perhaps more than anything else was the sheer courage and drive, physical, intellectual, political, even though i often found myself biting him richard, pace yourself. my friend, wherever you may be and whatever you're doing, and i offered that advice once again. pace yourself, knowing full well

that if there is a war in need of mending or suffering in need of healing, you'll dressed only when the work is done. [applause] >> i know this program has been somewhat lengthy, but honestly, it takes this many talkers to do train to justice, to keep up with holbrooke. he hasn't said a word here and i think were still behind. i will say that hillary and i were asked to end the program and we are.

according to holbrooke protocol, the one with the real power speaks last. mr. president, kati, all of you, it might real relationship with richard began almost 20 years ago when sandy berger got and i together one night for a drink so that he could interview me to determine whether i could suitably run for the democratic nomination for president. and somehow or another i passed the test. by the end of the night, he was so aggressive i thought he was going to finish with his hands on my throw. but i like that. a lot of people haven't talked about this tonight, but if you're a professional relationship with holbrooke as i was, as was being friendly, they're basically were three kinds of meetings you could have

with other people looking. they were the meetings where you were arguing about policies. those are the ones were e-mailed to enemies. people don't talk here tonight, this afternoon, where he would scream and claw and scratch and make you feel like you had a double-digit i.q. if you didn't agree with him. but he did that because he knew the purpose of diplomacy with japan's wars or avoid them or minimize conflict or save lives. it's worth wrestling a few feathers for diplomacy to save lives. then there were the meetings where the policy had been adopted and he didn't exactly agree with all of it, but there was any either had to leave our wave the flag. he was good at that. you would've thought it was his idea. [laughter]

then there were the policies that he was charged with implementing that he keep he agreed with. then he was a hurricane of eloquence and energy and force. he was a great diplomat because he was smart and he could learn and he could think, he could write, he could speak and most importantly, he could do. he never was any meeting in his life when he wasn't taking about okay, what are we going to do? and he loved the doers. one of the saddest days of my presidency was august 19, 1995, when we have begun negotiations to end the bosnian war, or at

least to end the siege about the need for and the shelling in sarajevo. and dick called me with wes clark to tell me that they had a terrible accident on one of my road. we have lost the vehicle and bob frazier, joe crusoe and nelson had all been killed, three of the best public servants we've ever worked with, part of our team. because melissa would not let them fly, knowing that those were unsafe. so we had a memorial service. we tried to promise to remember them. i still have three christmas ornaments that hillary and i put my treat for those three men.

but holbrooke was determined to honor them by ending the violence. by the end of august, the seeds have been listed, the talks began at detained in november. three weeks later we had an agreement. dick holbrooke did many things in his life and he would be the first to say he did not do that allowed. attending the worst killing in europe since world war ii and giving you the chance to be united and free was a very big deal. he could do. and he could do in matters big and small now. some people will say that president obama and hillary gave him a much harder job working in afghanistan and pakistan. i agree with that.

but i give them a harder one still. i made in the united states ambassador to the united nations when kobe was secretary-general and need to talk jesse helme and he did that, too. how would a living daylight he got jesse helme to do that i'll never know. but he did. there's a lot lot to laugh about, a lot to be grateful for. after i left the white house, i learned that holbrooke's an airing shows for protocol had begun and he realized he no longer worked for me and maybe on occasion i would work for him. and the one thing he was no good at. there was only one thing he was no good at. he would over to all this flattery when you knew he basically didn't mean a word of

it. [laughter] so, i remember two things in particular. he called me one time and wanted me to give a speech to the asian society. and he kept saying what a great thing would be for them and what he was really also saying is you know, you want to do this. you need to keep your hand in the game where people will think you don't know anything anymore. when i said i do what he proceeded to tell me exactly what i should talk about and how i should say it. [laughter] to many had of this business group to fight aids around the world, which was a really noble thing. and when we started there was nowhere near as much money going into it is now. and we still have them torso have no 8% of the people in the world who are hiv-positive who didn't know their status. within a month. i've been working on for years. when the month he knew as much about all this stuff as i did. and he relentlessly, relentlessly drove this agenda.

and he got me to appear at all these things, always sandisk or for that business person or the other would help me, but it was always basically a work for you. i did all this stuff. now you work for me, to go do this. so i did it. i loved the guy because he could do. doing a diplomacy saves lives. everything everybody said about him here is true. then the end, what matters is there are a lot of people walking around on the face of the earth for their children or grandchildren because of the way he lived his life. and i never did understand how people would buy it a little rough edges, which to me was so obvious what he was doing. it was so obvious why he felt the way he did.

i could never understand people who didn't appreciate him. most of the people who didn't were not nearly as good at doing. sometime in my second term, kati and dick started hosting a holiday dinner in hillary's honor. and they asked me to come, which made me know i was kind of a lame duck. and what holbrooke and i would talk about all the stuff we've done together when we were having a drink and is interviewing me for my suitability to become president. and it was after hillary was running for the senate. i don't know she'd been elected or not. he said you know, she's better than you are. [laughter] and i said yeah, i knew that

before you did. and i said, i know one other thing. you're still my ambassador and you have to keep that a secret for one more year. [laughter] if you knew him, you have to love him. and if you understand the business of diplomacy is saving lives. you have to appreciate every single strategy he deployed to try to do it, including when he said or did things that exhausted the rest of us. the great thing about 10 was even when he lost his last battle, he was fighting in the fight kept him forever young. and for that, i will be forever

grateful. [applause] [applause] >> well, i am last because my office is on the seventh floor, which is as close to heaven as you can get. so i end the program by beating and bringing you with me to be as close to richard as we can be. i'm very, very moved by the outpouring of love and admiration and respect that has been sent to me on behalf of our country, from so many places across the world. and in this audience this

afternoon are so many who have worked with richard in the past and are working with him today. if we had time, each and every one of you would have your own story. i want to start with richard on an airplane. those of us who flew with richard never forgot the experience. imagine being confined in a small space for many hours with richard determined to make his point and convince you to agree with it. it was a combination of a big personality and a small space that led everyone who traveled with him to be able to say, at the end of our flight, i too now have a story about richard

holbrooke. richard would begin by assessing every seat, to find the one key deemed most comfortable. and then he would use every one of his diplomatic skills to persuade a person who had the seat to give it up to him. he would roam the cabin and search himself in to conversations, tell stories and provoke arguments. sometimes those arguments snowballed. on one flight years ago, when richard was a younger diplomat, he and a staffer from the white house ended up in a mutual headlock over who got to see transcripts of a conversation with deng xiaoping. that presaged the kind of

headlock experiences richard would have with white house is through the years. and so, even more people have their story. but what was most memorable is that on many flights he would disappear into the restroom and then emerged, having changed out of his sober business suit into what he called his sleeping suit. it was bright yellow. he would brief the press and it and the rest of us would shrug and say, that's richard dean richard. there was simply no one like him anywhere else in the world. for 20 years, i had a front row seat to richard dean richard.

he was my trusted colleague. occasionally he was my biggest headache. often he was an inspiration and always he was my friend. and richard was a genius for friendship. as bill has said, we were so delighted to attend annual holiday parties that richard and kati would throw. and apparently one year, some months before i had said something complementary about the work done by the salvation army. it was a completely offhand comment. anyone else would have forgotten it. not richard. so in the middle of dinner, he gave a signal, the doors swung open and in march the salvation

army band. [laughter] trumpets blaring, carols being sung and richard beaming from ear to ear. once again, richard being richard. richard was brilliant, blunt and he did site until the final bells for what he believed in. not richard upon hearing winston churchill's famous motto never, never, never, never give up, said that churchill was halfhearted. [laughter] there are many of us in this audience who've had the experience of richard calling 10 times a day if he had to say something urgent. and of course he believes everything he had to say was

urgent. and if he couldn't reach you, he would call your staff. he prayed outside your office. he'd walk into meetings to which he was not invited, act like he was meant to be there and just start talking. i personally received the richard holbrooke treatment many times. he would give me homework. he would declare that i had to take one more meeting, make one more stop. there was no escaping him. he would follow me onto a stage as i was about to give a speech or into my hotel room or on at least one occasion into a ladies room. [laughter] in pakistan. [laughter] when he had an idea, he would pitch it to me.

if i said now, richard, no. he would wait a few days and then try again. finally, i would say richard, i've said no. why do you keep asking me? and he would look at me so innocently and he would reply, i just assumed at some point you would recognize that you were wrong and i was right. [laughter] and you know, sometimes that could have been. richard and i were 18. starting in bosnia, when i was first lady, through his years at the u.n., his work on aids and global health and our work together on afghanistan and pakistan. it was not always deemed easy on

richard's team. we went through a lot of tough times in those years. but we went through them together. he stood by me through my battles and i stood by him through his. so i feel his absence keenly and i know so many people here do as well. this is a loss personally and it is a loss 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. he had, as we've heard from others, secured his place in history. i am confident that the work he has done and was doing in afghanistan and pakistan will also stand the test of time. and i greatly appreciate

president zardari coming all the way to be with us today. [applause] he was -- [applause] he was, as mike mullen said, 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. shortly after richard was named to be the special envoy for afghanistan and pakistan, i decided that i needed to bring richard and general petraeus together. so i invited them both over to our home here in washington. and i set up two chairs, with a third and i just watched them

interact. and those are two men with a lot of energy. i was exhausted by the time they had finished going through every thing that they were thinking and what needed to be done in the years ahead. and as they were leaving, the post said let's do this again tomorrow night. [laughter] per richard got results. the high peace council that he helped launch in afghanistan is working and just sent a delegation to pakistan. his work on water, energy, agriculture and trade is paying off in significant improvements to people's lives. he had a vision where we needed to be going and despite all the challenges, which he knew very well, he remained optimistic and positive about what we could do

together. richard did this work with the help of a phenomenal team that he assembled with great gusto and pride over the past two years. they represent some of the best minds in biggest talents from inside and outside government and many of them are here today. so let me say to richard's team, you meant the world to richard and all of us at the state department are proud of your work. he also created an international contact group, with now more than 40 countries represented and increasing numbers of majority countries as part of that international contact group. i met with some of them who traveled so far to come here for this celebration of richard's

life and u2 spent a great deal to richard because he thought that we must have a political solution and that we must work to build regional and international support. many of richard staffers are young. then he was young when he started. and he wanted to give young people a chance to learn and serve and work on behalf of the country that he felt such a commitment to. there are few people in any time, but certainly our time who can say, i stopped a war. i made peace. i saved lives. i helped country heal. richard holbrooke did these

things. he believed that great men and women could change history and he did. she wanted to be a great man so he could change history. he was and he did. his time with us ended far too soon. and yet, he lived enough for timelines. so while we mourn, we have reason for joy, joy for the life that richard lived, joy that we were able to be part of it, that we went along for the ride. and his partners in that endeavor where his family. his son, david anthony and their families. lizzie and chris, his grandchildren and most of all,

kati, a friend to us all and someone who understood and loved richard so well. the families they built together cast light on so many people. there is a book of early jewish wisdom, the book against iran, which includes this passage. with three things i am delighted, for they are pleasing to the lord and two men. harmony among brethren, friendship among neighbors and the mutual love of husband and wife. with his life and legacy, richard holbrooke was three for three. god bless you, my friends.

[applause] [applause] ♪ america, america, god shed his grace on me.

♪ for beautiful, for spacious skies, for amber waves of great, for purple mountains majesty, above the return land. america, america, ♪ god shed his grace on it the. ♪ and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining

sea. these mac these mac ..

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>> and he had one today. and i know there are so many friends and colleagues sitting out there who have their great holbrook stories that this could go on for another couple of hours. the people from "south pacific" want to put on their show tonight. i ask you for just a moment to remain seated while the family leaves the auditorium, and our distinguished speakers make their exit. and as you exit, we'll remember richard again with the photographs of his life. thank you so much. [applause]

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we provide coverage of politics, affairs, not fiction books and american history. it is all available to you online and a social media networks. we bring our resources to your community. for now available and more of .hem 100 million homes but th stock, former we begin with rept says by the chief of staff ..edell

>> we had a singular goal which is to fire into pelosi. thank goodness we did that. ellen to touch on some of the efforts. we can talk more about what they have been doing. they have congressional districts were to as the first. we are able to work with the parties to implement for over 350 victory offices. along with 360 victory staffers staffing those offices and helping manage over 200,000 volunteers throughout the country, making or 45 million volunteer contacts. the results of all that work was 63 congressional seats picked up, six senate picked up

and 12 governor picked up. we had over 693 elected republican state legislators throughout the country. it was a very exciting year and it it was my pleasure and honor to be able to serve dg this exciting time. since the election, some key things we have been working on at the rnc to get prepared for the next cycle, we have done an extensive review and after action reports for every department at the rnc to be able to make sure we are able to learn the lessons learned from 2010, so that we can move forward in a more efficient and more productive way. we learned some very good things that we did that were new and we learned some lessons that we can carry forward. we have also started preliminary preparations for the 2011 election cycle. i know is often easy to forget that we have off-year elections, but there are numerous gubernatorial elections that we

are starting to prepare for, putting together victory plans and preparing for that. norm had mentioned we have dramatically upticks our efforts in the redistricting effort, led are our legal department -- led by our legal department. we will be in a very gd position but we cannot allow that to slip away, so we have to increase our efforts there and we have begun to do so. we have put together an extensive review of our finance projects an average going forward. the finance director and her team have putogether a review from top to bottom of various different events and programs that we are anxiously prepared to move forward, starting next week. i appreciate the time and i just

want to wrap up this report by saying thank you very mu for allowing me to sve as your chief of staff and for working with all the memrs of the 168 and the wonderful staff at the rnc. they did phenomena work this cycle and it was an honor to be part of this committee during a historic time. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you, very much, michael. at this time, we are very pleased to receive a report from our co-chair, jan larimer a, who has been out there like so many of us planning seeds and working very hard to have those seeds grow, and they did. we are really grateful for her leadership and i am particularly group -- grindle for her partnership and the

opportunity to serve together for the last two years. it gives me great pleasure to present to you our national co- chair, the honorable jan larimer , from wyoming. >> good morning. the political conversation in this country is driven by numbers, polling numbers, fund- raising numbers, voter totals, and who is up and who isown in the country. you have all received a copy that i sent of a final report from the co-chairman of this. i want to give you a synopsis of everything that we accomplished. 18 million are the number of voters reached by our get-out- the-vote advertising campaign. 1.2 million phone calls generated by the rnc women's program, 128, the number of gop women who ran for the u.s. house in 2010.

that is a record. [applause] 24, the number of republican women who won u.s. house seats in010. that is a record. 9, the number of new women who were elected to the u.s. house. that is a record. 17the number of women who ran for the u.s. senate. 3, the number of new republican women who are governors. 5, the number of new women who are lieutenant governors in their state 100 is the increase in gop women in legislative seats. there are over 40 states that i visited as co-chairman and i logged 300,000 miles.

2568 weeks have been transmitted, 86,000 or the number of voters connected live to our women's program phone calls, 3946 members are on rnc women, 60,000 is the number of e-mail addresses that we maintain and visit with each and every week and sometimes multiple times during the week, and we have passed out over 8000 training manuals which you have all used in your states to attract new candidates, new campaigns, and to get people elected. i want to recognize three people this morning because none of this would have happened in my office without elizabeth pierce , amy, and katie. are the three of you in here? you all know them. they have done an incredible job. has been fun working with them

and all of you. you have seen some snapshots of many of you and what we did these lt two years. you are all winners. we are all winners. the republican party did an amazing job because you are all in the trenches each and every day and you broadbent the kind of totals that two years ago, nobody thought were possible. so thanks for all that you have done. thanks for all you are about to do for 2012. let's keep on and let's just keep this train rolling. i am proud to be a member to serve with all of you. thank you. [applause] >> thank you very much. i appreciate that. at this time we will have the chairman's rept. over the lt month or so we have had a chance to digest the opportunities, the successes,

the ups and downs of the past two years. most especially, the past year. when i began my chairmanship, i thank you for t opportunity to serve. as we come to this particular crossroads and elections lie ahead for what happens next, i want to thank you so much for the chance to serve, at a time when our party was changing, strugglingo grow, regain its footing, find its voice, reconnect with people, and to stand proud again. the one thing i have learned in this role, this job, this responsibility, is that it does not get done without you. our state chairman, our national

committee men and women, the numbers you just heard from our co-chair are not just numbers on a piece of paper. they are not. there is real effort behind those numbers. there are real men and women behind those numbers, and their everyday struggles that wereut into action by you. so i am grateful as chairman to have served with one of the best rnc committees in a long, long time. because you did not shrink from the challenge, you did not walk away from the opportunity, and for the first time in over a generation, we looked at erica and we saw us, and we

talked to us, each other, andrew n. mike -- and wheat drew in moms and dads, teenagers, college students, african- americans, women, hispanics. we drew in america. they responded to your voice and your efforts. those numbers are not just number th don't get tossed around and dissected and analyzed to score points, to make a point. you have to appreciate that behind those numbers are the efforts of your state central committees, your county committees, your activists, our friends in the tea party movement. don't lose sighof that. the responsibility of leadership

in this party, not just in this office of chairman, not just in the office of co-chr or treasu or secretary, general counsel, but in the very ochses each one of you hold is to be a leader first. that is what the members of this party expect you to do when you come to the republican national committee. your efforts began in 2009 in a little place called virginia, new jersey, and you shocked the world, because we were not supposed to win in virginia, and we were not supposed to win in new jersey. but you did. you know what else you did? it does not reported -- it does not get reported. 2009.mayor's races in

albuquere, new mexico, the first time in over 20 years we had the mayor's office. coun executive races, upstate new york, everyone was focused on other things. meanwhile, the party was slowly and steadily building brick by brick, the success that was borne out there. that is the type of efforts that this party has to be engaged income every single day. some of the numbers i want to share with you again are not just numbers on paper, but they are a testament to the work that each one of you did, each one of the. not just what jan and i did, traveling four hundred thousand miles a year, randy getting on the plane and coming back and looking over books of sec reports, sharon o there are

rallying the troops at the grassroots. it inot just what we did, but what you did every single day. 44 million voters voted for us in 2010. the highest midterm turnout for any party in any midterm in the history of this country. you did that. republican efforts smashed voter turnout records. more voters went to the polls in 2010 than in the last midterm elections, a stunning 24% increase. you did that. all of you played a pivotal role in opening and establishing 360 victory offices across the country with a paid staff who were there on the ground with you, compared to just 154 victory ochses in 2008 and 140 in 2006. by virtue of the very plans that you put together, for the first time in the history of our party

we had a 50-state strategy. it was not just the contiguous states. we won the lieutenant guam and places that people did not expect this to runnd win. you did that. the use of less expensive and more effective new media. the rnc website was completely revamped, driving page views of 100 pegeen 9%. the emailed list was also overhauled and the content of outgoing e-mail's was enhanced to become more effective. our e-mail achieved a 40% open rate, up from about 3% in 2008 and are click through rate was close depicting%.

i know saul anuzis appreciates that. those percentages are real people coming to you, coming to our party to ge information, to learn, to become involved. that is what you did. on the fund-raising side, through your efforts and your state party and what we did nationally, get over 1 million new donors, small, medium, and large. is reversed the pcipitous decline of new donors that we have seen in recent off-year elections, quadrupling the amount raised from new dollars in 2009 compared to 2007. you did that. the efforts of our party, a party once tagged as an endangered species, speaks for itself.

i hope all of you, regardless of the outcome of this day, appreciate what you have done to establish firmly the repubcan renaissance that we all talked about two years ago. in those two years, look how we pull ourselves and me forward. now the task becomes harder, because obama is waiting for you read the democrat party is waiting for you. they are going to engage us on the battlefield of ideas, the battlefield of policy, and i thank heaven we have speaker boehner right there on the front lines for us. [applause] and leader kantor and the

leadership of our party on the hill, but most especially the leadership we have in our states, our new governor, are new state legislatures. on that front, because this is the real work that you did, we picked up over 680 state legislative seats. that is amazing feat. do you understand what that means when it comes to redistrictg? 194 congressional district lines were redrawn by republicans over the next two years. 44 congressional redistrict lines will be drawn by democrats. that is what you did. you made a difference throu planning, hard work, in gauging not just our base and are active list but are grass-rootsfolks who did not even know they were grass-roots folks who were part of our team.

that is what a good party does. you have all proven and shown the republican party is a good party. and is ready and willing to work on behalf of the american people. i have been honored to serve these past two years as your chairman and i know the work that lies ahead will be difficult and challenging, but i have no fear nor doub that you will rise to that occasion because you are the republican party in action, every single day, in states all across this great country, in neighborhoods and communities. has been such a pleasure for me to watch all of you work outside your comfort zone. and we hope, through the efforts that you commit to when you leave this meeting, that you are ready to give the democrats hell over the next two years and that

you are willing to work and fight behalf of the american people, unlike anything you have ever done before, because the work is too important, the challenges are too great, and our grandkids and great grandkids are depending on us in this hour to get it right. that is what a good republican party does for the people of america, and i thank you for what you have done so far. god bless you. [applause] >> now the nominations for the kent burda -- for the candidates purd. that five candates for chairman have demonstrated the required support for nomination. the chair recognizes john ryder, national committee man for tennessee for the purpose of nominating a candate for rnc chairman.

i believe th we have lost john writer's voice. >> i am chair of the tennessee republican party and i am standing in for john. on behalf of all the members of the rnc members of tennessee i am proud to nominate ann wagner as the next chairman of the republican national committee. [applause] we have some good people running, but i believe that ann wagner stands alone as the one candidate who possesses the complete package of skills needed to make a clean start for the rnc. ann wagner has served a republican party for 20 years. she has served our party at the local precinct level, at the township committee level, state level, and as co-chairman of the rnc. i know that she is a dedicated volunteer, able leader, and for me, a solid conservative.

we all know how critical the next two years will be. these are critical times for america and the current administration would like to change this country in a way that i don't think any of us want to. the republican party is a critical organization to take our country back and put it on the right track. as state chairman who like you raises money on a daily basis, the rn has lost credibility with donors both large and small. in order to restore the credibility we needed chairman who can raise the money and manage the money that she raises. ann wagner offers those abilities. as a campaign chairman and state chairman, she has demonstrated her ability to raise money. she was part of the team that raise 280 four million dollars during the 2002 election cycle and $390 million during the 2004 election cycle. she has helped raise millions

for the missouri republican party where she served nearly seven years as chairman. she has outlined an aggressive fund-raising pn that includes convening a new program for maxed out dollars. that program will also include regionally based finance committee that will report to the finance chairman. she also has the political savvy to lead our party in this crucial election. have served both as a party official and campaign official, she has been a customer of the rnc and she knows what we need to deliver tuesday sent to the campaigns in order to elect republicans to office and when the white house in 2012. ann wagner will run a tight ship at the rnc, instituting management changes that will structure our organization more like a business. she knows what it takes and will run it like a ceo. she will be a member oriented --

run a member oriented committee. she is not with any special interest for any vendor. she will be a co-chairman and a members member. she will be a serb leer. in short, ann wagner willring the full package skill set to the rnc -- she will be a servant leader. i urge you to join me in voting for ann wagner as our republican national committee chairman. [applause] >> the chair recognizes jane stables for the purpose of seconding. >> we have an opportunity to make history by electing a chairman for the rnc. i there i enthusiastically second the nomination of ann

wagner for chairman of the rnc. >> national committeewoman for oklahoma, i also second the nomination of ann wagner for chairman of the rnc. ann wagner is the complete package. >> i enthusiastically seconded this nomination for ann wagner for chairman. >> i enthusiastically endorse ann wagner as well. >> i am proud to nominate and second the nomination of ann wagner. >> i join my fellow members in seconding the nomination for ann wagner. >> david cole, chairman of the great state of missouri. it is my distinct honor to second the nomination of ann wagner. she was a great chairman in missouri and a great co-chairman

and she will be a great chairman of this committee. please join me in supporting ann wagner for chairman of the rnc. thank you. [applause] >> the chair recognizes steve king from wisconsin for the purpose of nominating a candidate for rnc chair. >> thank you, madam chairman. on behalf of the governor of the great state of wisconsin, scott walker, our newly elected senator, ron johnson from wisconsin, our congressional delegation, and on behalf of the republican party of wisconsin, i am proud and happy to stand before you and nominate for our next chairman of the republican national commission, mr. reince priebus. [applause]

i have been involved in politics for some time, and i have watched over the last dozen or so years the courier and leadership that reince priebus has brought to our party and our state, culminating several ars ago when he came our leader. immediately upon becoming chairman, he retired are dead, he ran the house -- he retired our debt. he raised recordmounts of money. he recruited conservative candidates. he represented us wonderfully to the media. he stayed on message. he wrapped us -- wrapped his arms around the various coalition groups to include the tea party, and the results showed it on november 2. never in history of our state have return of our state around. governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, both houses, and two congressional seats. a state that was totally black and blue became totally red.

and now he is offering to bring that kind of leadership to our national party. reince is the leader that we need to unify our committee, bring the resources we so bad need if we are going to succeed and build on the successes that we enjoyed in 2010 in 2012. i urge yo support for the next generation of leadership t our party, reince priebus. [applause] >> thank you, steve. the chair recognizes betty hill, national committeewoman from montana, for the purpose of seconding. >> i am happy to second the nomination for reince priebus today. he is one of our young, exciting state chairmen and he knows all about winning.

>> i am extremely proud to second the nomination of my statehairman, as i have learned firsthand his strong work ethic and his commitment to servant leadership. >> i am supporting reince priebus for many reasons. he will be a great fund raiser. on day one he has committed to call keep people, and financial leaders of our party. >> donna king from oregon. i am happy to support reince priebus. i believe he will provide the oversight we need for the next election. >> i second nomination because i have found in working with reince priebus that he shows uncommon respect for every

member of this committee and he will show that as chairman. he is a committed conservative that we need to lead the way in 2012. >> i am excited to second the nomination of reince priebus. he will bring back the fiscal discipline this party needs. >> i am proud to second. i believe he will serve in a way that unifies us and restore trust. he is the most humble person. >> i am supporting reince priebus for rnc chairman because of the way he works with the tea party organization. >> i am supporting and seconding reince priebus for chairman because i know he will uphold our pro-life platform. >> i am the youngest a german from the great state of

oklahoma. he has a plan and the personality to be able to reach the next generation of voters. >> i am supporting reince priebus and seconding the motion because i know he has a laser focus on electing republicans and focusing on bringing the white house back to us. >> i am supporting reince priebus because he is enthusiastic. he is the full package and a great neighbor to the east. >> if your time is up. if there a any others who would like to second, please let the secretary know and she will duly put it in the records. the chair recognizes the national committeewoman from hawaii for the purpose of nominating a candidate for rnc chairman.

x is my pleasure today to make this nomination. i don't have to remind this group that together we all fired nancy pelosi in 2010, and now we have a majority in the house of representatives. we have taken over -- accumulated another 690 state legislative seats, the most since 1928, and we have a winning chairman. i woullike to ask you at this time to join me in reelecting michael steele so that we can together defeat barack obama in 2012. thank you. [applause] >> the chair recognizes the national committeeman from florida for the purpose of

secondin >> i am proud to second the nomination of michael steele and thank him for reaching out and reconnecting us with the american people. the tea party boats and everyone realized that he helped and was listening to we the people for change, and republicans are back in the mainstream with america. thanyou. >> i am supporting michael steele for reelection because he is the individual in the best position to lead us objectively in the next election and to promote our common goals. >> i am honored to second the nomination of michael steele as chairman of the republican national committee, because he put us on the path to victory in 2010 and i believe he will

see us through victory in 2012. thank you. >> i support and second the nomination of chairman michael steele for reelection because of all the money sent to our state for early victory ochses. our policy was the way to go. -- fire pelosi was the way to go. >> i am supporting michael steele in his reelection because i have always believed in the ground up, as he does. at both the local, state, and national levels, this is the kind of leadership that we expect from michael and we will see from here through the 2012 elections. >> i am supporting michael steele because two years ago, this party was in dire straits,

and i don't know whether you have noticed, but we just had the biggest year that this party has ever had. what corporation changes the head when you have just had the biggest win? it is insane. i urge all of you, let's not changed chairmen. let's keep it going. we want to win in 2012. [applause] >> our success in november paved the winning pass to 2012, and i do not wish to change course now. join me in supporting michael steele for chairman of the rnc. he plotted the course, he will bring us home. >> on behalf of the whole delegation, when somebody makes sweet music, one is a good

conductor, you do not get rid of the conductor, and he has made sweet music. we sat in the nomination of michael steele. join us, make sweet music. [applause] michael steele is the prudent leader with the energy and enthusiasm to lead us to victory again in 2012. is my honor to request your support and your vote for michael steele. thank you. >> the chair recognizes the state chairman for ohio for the purpose of nominating a candidate for rnc chairman. >> ladies and gentlemen, fellow members, i know we have heard all of the speeches and i know no one wants to hear anymore, so let's get right to the point. the challenges that face this

committee are incredibland they are daunting. in less than 22 months, we have to dig o of a $20 million hole, put $27 million in to the president of trust, fund a get- out-the-vote effort for our presidential candidate, we have to pay for national convention, identify that presidential candidate, and do so while facing a glut will likely be a billion dollar ground game in an effort to reelect obama. i respect every one of the candidates that has put forth their candidacy of the last several weeks. i respect the heck out of region everyone of them, and you should too. i don't envy anyone who gets the job, but i know one thing. this committee needs a quiet, effective, experienced chair to tackle these tough challenges. i am confident that maria cino is that person. she is the only candidate in this race who has worked in and around the committee for better

than 30 years. the only one who has managed the rnc not once, but twice. the only one who has run a national political operation for a successful presidential campaign. the only one to help bail out a national committee of millions of dollars worth of debt. the only one who has successfully funded an managed a national convention. the list goes on andn. she has the confidence of our ,arty's highest ranking leader and i join him in respectfully asking everyone of you decastro for maria cino for chairman. it is my distinct honor to place into nomination for chairman of the name of maria cino. thank you. [applause] >> the chair recognizes the national committeewoman from utah for the purpose of seconding. >> in 1993, republicans were in

big troubl we had a charismatic young president, we had not held a house majority in 40 years, and the nrcc was $5 million in debt. maria cino clear that debt and raised millions re dollars. with the charismatic president whose policies are wrong for our country, i want a candidate for chairman who has raised the most money, elected the most republicans, executed most programs, and demonstrated a lifelong commitment to the republican party and its ideals. that is maria cino. i am honored to second her nomination. [applause] >> in 1996, she raised $100 million and successfully defended our new majority in the house of representatives. in 2000, she ran a successful operation that elected a

republican challenger into the white house. in 2004, she ran the political operations that devised and implemented the most successful victory operation in history of this national party. 2008, she ran a great convention. therefore, it is my great honor to second the nomination of maria cino to the next chairman of our national republican party. thank you. [applause] >> i am honored to second the nomination of maria cino because it is time to elect a chairman who will restore credibility to the republican national committee from day one. it is time to elect maria cino, who will be able to raise money, millions of dollars from day one. it is time to elect rya cino, a chairman who will be able to elect republicans from day one.

it is time to elect korea cino, who will stand tall for republicans across this country from day one. i have had 35 years with the national committee, and believe me, it is time. thank you very much. [applause] >> i rise to second the nomination of maria cino. she will help write the internal ship that we have and helped rectify our deficit. she will help us reach out to our candidates wit money, because when all els fails, we are going to have to have about $700 billion to win in 2012. she is the only candidate out there who has shown that she can raise that money. thank you. [applause] >> the chair recognizes the national committee man from

virginia for the purpose of non and -- nominating a candidate for rnc chairman. >> it is my honor and pleasure to place a name inomination for rnc chairman. we are fortunate to have well qualified candidates for national chairman. all of thehave made their cases with respect to fund raising and their political skills, and later today, one of our candidates will win a majority of our boat. as you consider the candidates, i ask you to keep in mind for questions. it would be most able to incorpore the tea party activists and other newly active grassroots conservatives into the campaigns of republican candidates in 2012?

i know these activist organizations. i have trained many for the tea party groups an analogous organizations and i believe the answer to th question is saul anuzis. second, who is most likely to exploit fully the high-tech social media for republican candidates? the answer is saul anuzis. who would you be confident could respond most effectively in spontaneous give-and-take with democrats and the news media? i think the answer is saul anuzis. fourth, hoon do you know would be the chairman most quickly to get back to you when you want to discuss something important about your state or the rnc? think the answer is saul anuzis. two years ago, saw was my second choice. hear who one of many t

has saul anuzis as my first choice. he is easy to like. i predict we will find on the final ballot that he is the second choice of a great many more of us. is my pleasure to nominate saul anuzis. [applause] >> the chair recognizes the state chairman for south carolina for the purpose of seconding. >> ladies and gentlemen of the committee, it is my distinct privilege and honor to second the nomination of saul anuzis. this is a gentlan that does not just walk the walk. he talks the talk and he walks the walk. this gentleman is someone who carries the core competencies that we need in this position. he is a fund raiser. he is someone who inherently understands the ability to strategizing and he finally understands most importantly, technology and our reach.

within 30 days of my nomination of state party chairman, the rest of the red states receives some tremendous news, our governor -- governor has foibles and they played out nationwide. for absolutely no money, he sat with us and help the strategize. i can tell you he made historic gains, and i attribute most of those to the foundations laid by this gentleman. it is my prilege and honor and i asked each of you to take the arm-twisting and forget it. go to your hearts,o what is right, and vote for saul anuzis. >> fellow members of the rnc, it is my pleasure and honor to second the nomination of saul anuzis. he is a proven business manager and party manager. he is a tremendously successful

fund-raiser. he is an outstanding manager of the republican message and he has been an effective communicator in all types of media. that is what he is and what he has done. that is what can be and can do for you and me as chairman of the rnc. i strongly urge that you vote for saul anuzis. i yield the balance of my time to the committeewoman om massachusetts. >> i fully endorse saul anuzis for chairman of the rnc and i wish that you would all follow me as one of a handful of female chairman, i would like to say that saul anuzis is someone that the males can go along with. he works well b.j. that females can go along with. , butust because he is kickecute

he understands the problems that we face. as a member of the yng republicans, he can lead this grand old party into a new day that will take the rnc where it needs to go in 2012. thank you. [applause] >> since there are no other nominations that qualify, the nominations are now closed. >> the voting began with 85 votes needed to be elected chairman. after four rounds with no winner being declared, rnc chairman michael steel announced he was dropping out of the race. his remarks are six minutes.

>> tha you very much. how are you all doing? i just wanted to check. two years, we have had a good time. we have worked hard and build the party. it is very clear, the party wants to do something a little dierent and hopefully a little bit better. i appreciate all the hard work that all of you have brought to the table. i said that earlier this morning and met it from heart. this is tough, because it is what it is. but what is important, and i hope you do not forget that as this process unfolds, unification, moving forward, building, growing, winning.

our target, r ground game, our opportunity rests out with the people of america. so i really thank you for the chairmanship of this party for the two years that i have had. at this time i will step aside for others to lead. but in so doing, i hope you all appreciate the legacy we leave. despite the noise, lord knows we have had a lot of noise. despite the difficulties, we won. [applause] sit down, sit down. sit down, sit down.

[cheers and applause] please, please. as probably many of you have figured out, am a fighter. and i am a little bit obstinate, but i am because i believe in the fight. i am because i believe that the greatest gift we can give to the people, politically, is our service to them. as i said this morning, that is your charge. you took that are seriously. we went out, we raise money, $192 million of it. we won 63 house seats, 21 state legislators slid from democrat

to republican. as i said this morning, it was not because of wt i did or what any of the offices, what you did. i will step asid because i think the party is ready for something different. at this time i release my supporters and i asked them to stand with me in supporting maria cino as next chairman of the party. [applause] all the while, it is up to all of you to decide. we have been through some big storms, so small storms, but this storm, you cannot allow to continue. we must heal ourselves and go forward together and we must win.

barack obama's agenda is not good for america. we fired pelosi. let's take the senate. let's take the white house. let's heal america, made her stronger, better, prouder, as we are today as republicans. unified, moving forward. it is important. i thank you for the opportunity to servend to lead, and now i exit stage right. [applause] [cheers and applause]

>> after six rounds, candidate ann wagner dropped out of the race, and after seven rounds of voting, a winner was declared. >> in descending order, priebus, 97, anuzis, 43, cino,

28. one more time, priebus, 97, anuzis, 43, cino, 28. the chair recognizes kevin dewine. >> i made a motion to recognize reince priebus as chairman of the republican national committee. >> it has been moved and seconded. is there discussion? any discussion? all those in favor, aye. all those opposed, nay. the ayeshave it. congratulations. [applause]

[applause]

>> thank you. thank you very much. i am going to keep this really short. i just want to thank god, i want to thank jesus for this moment. i am so blessed, and i have said that to you so many times, just being a little kid growing up in kenosha. my first date with my wife, i have to tell you with two great kids and jack and grace, we cannot wait to get to work here in the party and rebuild this party, move on to conservative

candidates. i want to thank the republican leaders from my home state of wisconsin including steve king, mary, scott walker, ron johnson, sean duffy and paul ryan. thank you all very much. [applause] i want to thank all the candidates to step up and offered themselves to this tall task, and i want to thank chairman steele for his leadership over the past two years. thank you. [applause] and i want to thank all of the rnc members who believe in my vision, who understood that some significant work that we need to do in the committee has to get done. we have to get on track, and

together we can defeat barack obama in 2012. together, unified as a committee, with the election over, now is the time for the committee to unite. we must come together for our common interests. for the betterment of our party and our country. with that in mind, i want you to know that i amere to earn the trust and support of each and everyone of you. i towed to a would serve in humility and work hard -- i told you i would serve in humility and work hard and i am going to start working right now as your chairman. we all recognize that ther is a steep hill here ahead of us, and the only way we will be able to move forward is if we are all

together. we must never forget why we all do this. as reagan said, our nation is that shining city upon a hill, and we must work to keep it that way. we recognize that the democrats have taken this country on the wrong path, and it isn't going to be easy or glamorous, but together we must lead the way to a better committee and a better america. i have spoken to most of you and you have seen my plan to move this committee forward. it starts right now on day one. it is now my duty to implement this plan and communicate it to the american people in real, clear terms. you all are the board of directors. while i may be the ceo, we must all remember that each of us, everyone of us, is still an

employee to republican voters. it is our job to fulfill the mission of the rnc, and we are going to start by putting a solid business plan in place to operate effectively and efficiently to begin to rtore the faith of our donors. we will work to if with this new focused leadership, the rnc will move forward by restructuring our financial operation, reviewi our crent plans ofction, and hiring top notch staff. i am understand the challenges that lie ahead of us. it goes well past raising funds. we must know how to spend these

funds effectively, to aid in a redistricting efforts, to support our 2011 candidates, to hold a world class convention, and to be sure that our republican presidential nominee has the organization in place to beat barack obama. [applause] i am completely humbled to have the opportunity to lead this amazing party. starting today, starting now, as a committee, let's come together and let's get ready to elect republicans. and god bless the committee and god bless the united states of america. thank you very much. i appreciated. i will earn your trust every da

thank you. [applause] >> he basically just whittle down support from his rivals. we sought and wagner dropped out before the second round of voting started. he ended up taking the chairmanship with a little more than 90 votes and came in and delivered a speech and promised a humble and new hardworking era. >> what is the strength of his previous with the republicans?

six of eight house seats in wisconsin, what is it that sold the delegates there that sold the votes at the rncinter meetg? >> i think you hit the nail right on the head as far as -- he came in as chairman of the wisconsin republican party in 2007. after that, he was able to build a significant organization ov there. that release with a lot of folks. he was really ab to make the claimhat, it would is typically a blue state, was got some -- wisconsin, they managed to lead the rnc ford. >> what are you looking for as we move into the chairmanship? >> the two big challenges that

the chairman faces is, one, fundraising. there is estimates before the vote happen that he will need to rae at least $400 million in the next two years to compete with president obama and senate democrats and the dnc. the other challenge that he faces is the tea party movement. what we saw er the last cover up -- the last couple of years is a decentralization of republican power into these groups, these nine are 12 groups. basically, they are activists and money were flowing ay from the rnc into the grass roots movement. he has to convince those activists and those donors that the rnc is back and that it is a re viable and stable organization and they need to start putting their money and their efforts into the party. >> we appreciate your work today with us. we'll talk with you again.

>> the new rnc chairman also spoke briefly with reporters following his election. this is just over five minutes. >> hello. hi. first of all, my name is reince priebus. i promised the committee that i woodworking humility. i would work hard every day to help to bring unity to our committee again. we need to raise a whole lot of money, come together as a party, build on the success and victories that we just had in 2010, rebuild our credibility as a party, as the conservative

party in america, with the right answers to help prevent our couny from falling off that fiscal clef. we will do all that work together. we will uphold the principles of this party, raise the money that we need, get the money into the state's, defeat barack obama in 2012, save our country, and, in the process, save our party. with that, i will take any questions you might have. i am actually running the meeting behind me, if you have not noticed. so i have too back up, but i can take the questions. yes, sir. >> how serious is the deficit in the party and in the republican national committee as a whole? >> we are looking at at least $20 million in debt. we have a lot of work to do. we have to get our financial team together around the countr. i'm going to get to work on that tonight and reach out to our major donors, getting them back on board, putting this party back on their shoulders so that we can have the money and the

resources and the people that we need to rebuild the rnc. i would be remiss not to say thank you to chairman steel for his leadership. we respect them and we wish him well. i want to thank all the other michaeles, and wagneanne wagne, steele, and others. we appreciate their heart and efforts in this race. these races are tough. >> -- >> i am the chairman of the republican national committee. i serve 168 members of that committee from every state and territories in washington -- and the territories and washington, d.c. we're blessed to have senator mitch mcconnell as our leader. we wil work with them and we appreciate them. as chairman of the party, it is

my job to support them as well. >> you do not have a ton of experience in doing things like this, fundraising -- this is a big deal right now. are you prepared for the communications aspect of this? >> listen, wisconsin is a targeted state. i have talked with a lot of you standing right here. we are not on used to having -- we're not unused to having the press. i have talked to a lot of you already about some of the things that we have done at the rnc i am prepared for this. but, you know what? with god's help, anything is possible. >> -- >> that is the job of the republican national chairman. >> last question. >> i just grabbed the gavel here to run the next election. i have not made any decisions on

that. we will bring a team together. we will take these executive committee of the rnc and there will be a transition team and we will build unity on this committee. everyone will have a say. we will do this together. we will bring real leadership back in the building and get this train back on the rails. >> how relevant is the rnc? >> is very relevant. we have to raise about $400 million over the next two years. we will do that through regional finance teams, regional finance directors -- but as said before, getting the finance chairman around this country back on board, putting the rnc back on their sulders, and rebuildin this party. this will be hard work. there are no illusions about that. they believe in the republican party. they believe that we need to save our country. they feel that in their hearts

and their minds. they want to be on board. i talked with many of them. they are ready to get to work. they want to rebuild -- to roll up their sleeves. i have to go back in and run this meeting. >> the help of the party, in terms of any division in the establishment -- >> i do not think so at all, not from the one of 68 who were in their voting, not for me. i am part of the grass roots movement. our party is part of the conservative movement this country. we are not in competition with it. we will do it right. we will do it together. we will win in 2012. thank you very much.

>> use the c-span video library. there are programs on the life and legacy of the civil-rights leader. find a program, watch it, share it. and >> now, secretary of state hillary clinton provides a broad overview of u.s.-china relations in advance of hugh -- hu jintao's visit. they will discuss outstanding issues surrounding trade and human rights. her speech was billed as the first annual richard holbrooke address named at the the u.s. diplomat in to passed away this year. -- after the u.s. diplomat who passed away this year.

>> it is an honor to have all of you here. if you walk into the bureau of east asian pacific affairs, you are greeted by the dignitaries of foreign policy on both sides, some of the greatest names who have served with great distinction for many years. these are all suitably somber black and white photographs, short hair, men holding pass, all except one. there is one man, enormous big hair, very young, unconscionably young, 34 years old, the youngest assistant secretary ever to serve, looks more like the drummer in the doors -- [laughter]

a than a distinguished diplomat. that man was our predecessor, ith distinction during a controversial time in our history. it is only fitting today that this inaugural lecture that will be given to you in a moment by secretary clinton the about this relationship, this incredibly consequential relationship that will define the 21st century. without further ado, it is my great honor to introduce and welcome our wonderful and current secretary of state, secretary clinton. >> thank you. [applause]

>> well, this is a bittersweet moment for me personally to deliver this first inaugural lecture. i want to think kurt for that introduction and for reminding everyone that you are a tough act to follow, my friend. [laughter] along with deputy secretary steinberg, they're terrific team has brought intellectual heft and vision to our diplomacy in asia. wherever i go in the region, people always have a curt campbell story to tell. [laughter] some of them are even flattering. [laughter] so thank you to my great team here at the state department for all of your hard work and leadership. it is a special honor to welcome with someue along many distinguished ambassadors.

to this inaugural richard holbrooke lecture in the state department in the ben franklin room, for nearly half a century, as a young foreign service officer in vietnam, as the tireless negotiators of the dayton accord, as the special representative for afghanistan and pakistan, richard holbrooke grappled with some of the most difficult and important challeng of american foreign policy. and he left an indelible mark on this department, on our country, and in the world. because of his efforts, america is more secure. millions of people around the world have had the opportunity to live up to their full god- given potential. and we are honoring richard legacy in many ways. this afternoon, many of us will gather at the kennedy center to share stories and remembrances. one of the ways we have chosen is this new lecture series,

which reflects richards passion for serious policy questions and his conviction that they deserve serious discussion. richard had a handn nearly every crucial foreign-policy challenge of the last 50 years. if he was not invited to have a hand, his hand was there any way. [laughter] i look around this room, not only at americans, but at many of our friends from across the world and many of you know what i am talking about. he was tireless. he was relentless. he would not take no for an answer. because i would give him no over and over again and it was not the answer he wanted. he worked with many of us on many of these important issues. today, i would like to focus on one that he knew well and that is on everyone's mind as we prepare for the important arrival of prident hu jintao. the future of u.s.-china relations.

as the state department's youngest ever secretary of east asian and pacific affairs, richard was, as curt has said, a key player in brokering the opening of formal diplomatic relaons with china in 1979. later, he served for many years as the president of the asia society. throughout his career, richard understood that a strong u.s.- china relationship would bolster stability and security in the asia-pacific region. he was also clear ride about the many obstacles to our corp. -- clear-eyed about the many obstacles to our cooperation. these insights remain just as relevant today. we heard them underscored this week by secretary gates in beijing and by secretary

geithner and lot here in washington. three deces after our nation first opened the door to engagement, our relationship is marked by great promise and real achievemt, but also by significant challenges as one would expect. and more than ever, we will be judged on the outcomes that we do produce for a greater peace, prosperity, and progress in our own country and throughout the world. america and china have arrived in a critical juncture, a time when the choices we make, both big and small, will shape the trajectory of this relationship. over the past two years, in the obama administration, we have created the opportunity for deeper, broader, and more sustained cooperation. we have seen some early successes and also some frustration. moving forward, it is up to both

of us to mor consistently translate positive words into effective cooperation. it is up to both of us to deal withur differences. and there will always be differences between two great nations. we need to deal with them wisely and responsibly. and it is up to both of us to meet our respective global responsibilities and obligations. these are the things that will determine whether our relationship delivers on its potential in the years to come. we have already come very long way since the first tentative steps of the diplomatic opening in 1979. after many years of virtually no contact, we have had three decades of intense engagement. in the beginning, our relationship was almost exclusively focused on the common threat posed by the former soviet union.

during the 1990's, we began to engage onroader regional issues. i remember with great fondness the trip that my husband and i and our daughter took to china as part of that intense engagement. today, our relationship has gone global. we debate and discuss nearly every major international issue in both bilateral dialogue and multilateral meetings. and these are on issues that we have concerns together and on issues for which we have fundamental disagreements, such as human rights. when president obama welcomes president hu jintao to the white house, they will be on display. these three decades have also been decades of impressive growth for china. when richa holbrooke and his colleagues first visited china, its gdp barely topped $100

billion. today, it is almost $5 trillion. trade between our two countries used to be measured in the hundreds of millions of dollars. today, it surpasses $400 billion annually. china's transformation made possible primarily by the hard work of its people and the vision of its leaders. it was also aided by an open and dynamic, global economy and by the american power that has long secured stability in the region. it has lifted hundreds of millions out of grinding poverty and now helps drive global prosperity. the united states has welcomed this growth and we have benefited from it. today, our economies are entwined and so are our futures. but despite its progress in the past 30 years, china still

faces great challenges. when i speak with my chinese counterpart, they often talk to me in passionate terms about how far their country still has to go. even with all that growth, china's gdp is only one-third of the size of america's with nearly four times the number of people. and our trade with the european union is sti greater than our trade with china. as secretary geithner noted this week, ina has a lot of work to do to move from a state- dominated economy, dependent on external demand and technology to a more market-oriented economy powered by domestic dend and innovation. more of its people are also seeking greater respect for their cultural and religious beliefs. they are seeking more opportunities for improved working conditions and for legal recourse for injustices.

understanding these strengths and challenges is essential for us and others to understand today's china. it provides important context to the country's changing role on the world stage and to the future of the u.s.-china relationship. history teaches that the rise of new power is often ushered in with periods of conflict and uncertainty. indeed, on both sides of the pacific, we do see some trepidation about the rise of china and about the future of the u.s.-china relationship. some in the region and some here at home see china's growth as a threat that will lead either to cold war-style conflict or american decline. and some in china worry that the united states is bent on containing china'sise and constraining china's growth, a view that is stoking a new

streak of assertive chinese nationalism. we reject those views. in the 21st century, it does not make sense to apply zero some 19th century theories about how major powers interact. we are moving through uncharted territory. we need new ways of understanding the shifting dynamics of the international landscape, a landscape marked by emerging centers of influence, but also by non-traditional, and even non-state actors and the unprecedented challenges and opportunities created by globalization. this is a fact that we believe is especially applicable to the u.s. china relationship. our engagement, indeed, our entanglement can only be understo in the context of this new and more complicated

landscape. i said, when i first went to china as secretary of state early in my tenure, that there was an old chese saying that when you are in the same the, you have to row in the same direction. we are in the same boat. and we will either rode the same direction or we will cause turmoil and will pose -- and whirlpool's that will impact not only our individual countries, but those within and without our borders. we are two complex nations with very different histories, with profoundly different political systems and outlooks. but there is a lot about our people that reminds us of each other. it is an energy, an entrepreneur of dynamism, a commitment to a better future for one's children

and grandchildren. we're both deeply invested in the current order and we both have much more to gain from cooperation than from conflict. that does not mean that we will not be competitors. that is the nature of human endeavors. it is who we are as people. but there are ways of doing it that are more likely to benefit than not. a peaceful and prosperous asia pacific region is in the interest of both china and the united states. a thriving american is good for china and a thriving china is go for america. our friends and allies across the asia-pacific region would agree. they also want to move beyond outdated zero-sum formulas that might force them to choose between relations with beijing and relations with washington. all of it requires steady

dynamic stewardship of this critical relatiohip, an approach to china on our part that is grounded in reality, focused on results, and true to our principles and interests. and that is how we intend to pursue a positive, cooperative, and comprehensive relationship with china. i am sure you will hear that phrase quite a bit over the next week -- positive, cooperative, and comprehensive relationship. that really does capture our hopes for the future and that is how our two presidents have described this relationshi but you cannot build a relationship on aspirations alone. that is what makes this a critical juncture. as i said at the outset, the choices that both sides make in the months and years ahead and the policies that we pursue will help determine whether our relationship lives up to its promise and it is up to both of us to translate high level pledges of summits and state

visits into actn, real action on real issues. to keep our relationship on a positive trajectory, we also have to be honest about our differences. we will address them firmly and decisively as we pursue the urgent work we have to do together. anwe have to avoid unrealistic expectations that can be disappointed. this requires steady effort over time to expand the areas where we cooperate and to narrow the areas where we diverge while holding firm to our respective values. as we build on our record of the past two years and shape the future of our relationship, the obama administration is pursuing a strategy with three elements that i will read it -- that all inforce one another. we are practicing robust regional engagement in the asia- pacific. we are working to build trust between china and the united

states. ande'reommitted to expanding economic, political, and security cooperation wherever possible. let me start with regional engagement. the united states, by the blessing of our geography, is both an atlantic and a pacific power. we are committed to r relationship through both of these great oceans. we are firmly in getting our relationship with china within a broader regional framework because it is inseparable from the asia-pacific webf security alliances, economic networks, and social connections. in doing so, we will maintain an appropriate perspective on this relationship. today, it is as important as any bilateral relationship in the world. but there is no such thing as a g-2. both of our countries reject that concept. there are other key actors,

allies, institutions, and emerging powers who will also work with us to shape regional and global affairs. over the past two years, the united states has reaffirmed our commitment to be an active participant and leader in the asia-pacific. as i said in hawaii this fall, we are practicing what we call forward-deployed diplomacy, expanding our presence in terms of people, programs, and high leveling agent at every corner and every capital across the region. america has renewed and strengthen our bonds with our allies, japan, south korea, thailand, australia, and the philpines. we have deepen their partnerships with india and indonesia, vietnam, malaysia, singapore, and new zealand. we're taking steps to ensure that our defense posture reflects the complex and evolving strategic environment in the region. and we're wking to ratify