Richard Holbrooke (1941-2010) was a career diplomat for Democratic Administrations and one of the earliest editors of Foreign Policy, a left-leaning publication.
In 2009, Holbrooke was appointed as a special adviser on Pakistan and Afghanistan, working under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.[1] According to Holbrooke's diary which was turned over to his official biographer George Packer following his death, when Vice President Joe Biden was asked about America's obligation to maintain their presence in Afghanistan to protect vulnerable civilians, he scornfully replied, "F*** that, we don't have to worry about that. We did it in Vietnam, Nixon and Kissinger got away with it."[2]