The Sins of Henry Kissinger

As far as 20th century US politicians go, no one is held in more contempt than Richard Nixon. Nixon has become shorthand for nearly everything reviled about politics. This fact isn’t particularly controversial. Nixon is widely remembered for Watergate, the Southern Strategy and War on Drugs. These three tragedies of US history will forever taint his image. Strangely, this has not applied to a man who was arguably far worse. While Nixon himself is still hated decades after his death, one of his closest advisors is held up as an elder statesman.

Henry Kissinger is the favorite diplomat of the political establishment in both parties. He was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1973, becoming only the third Cabinet official or President in history to do so. Gerald Ford kept Kissinger in his Cabinet. George W. Bush appointed him to a 9/11 commission. Barack Obama and John McCain both cited him as an influence while running for President in 2008. Hillary Clinton publicly expressed admiration for the 56th Secretary of State and touted the Republican’s endorsement in a Democratic Primary in the 2016 campaign. Kissinger is one of the only Cabinet Secretaries in history to command such bipartisan praise.

It’s hard to find a man less worthy of these honors. Between Nixon and Kissinger, a strong argument can be made that Nixon was the more altruistic of the two. The disgraced President made many mistakes in foreign policy, but ultimately was the driving force behind moves like opening up China, and was personally committed to peace. His gravestone reads…