We have all watched with horror the recent events in Libya, which took the life of Ambassador Chris Stevens, our envoy in Tripoli. Americans across our country have shaken their heads in disbelief that a man who devoted his life to helping Libyans achieve their freedom should have been viciously murdered in the very city he helped protect.

The last time I saw Chris Stevens was in May, at his swearing-in ceremony for his first post as ambassador, in Libya. We'd been friends since he was a junior diplomat on the Iran desk, when we used to gab for hours about Tehran's cryptic politics. We later met up in Mideast hot spots, from Syria and Saudi Arabia to the Palestinian territories. He always had funny tales about diplomatic mischief.