US / Richard Holbrooke Envoy Richard Holbrooke in Critical Condition He had surgery to repair torn aorta By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Dec 11, 2010 10:48 AM CST Copied In this Oct. 18, 2010, file photo, Richard Holbrooke, U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, speaks at a press conference in Rome. (AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito, File) Richard Holbrooke, the president's special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is in critical condition at a Washington hospital after surgery this morning to repair a tear in his aorta. He fell ill at the State Department yesterday. The veteran diplomat, 69, is perhaps best known for helping broker the 1995 agreement that ended the war in Bosnia, and his blunt negotiating style earned him the nickname "The Bulldozer." The BBC has a profile. (More Richard Holbrooke stories.) Report an error