STEVE PIECZENIK TALKS

Senator Bernie Sanders and Ex-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger:

One Polish Jew in Search of Socialism; the Other, a German Jew in Search of Realpolitik and Immortality!
I was compelled to write about two Jews who have captured the front page of the NY Times in a most bizarre twist of fate on this propitious date, February 15, 2016, President’s Day. Most of you know by now that I had worked for Larry Eagleburger [Henry’s surrogate] at the State Dept. during the end of the Nixon and Ford eras. I knew a lot about Henry’s personal dynamics and past real/ presumed accomplishments when I had entered the USG as a Council on Foreign Relations Fellow. Yet, I expressed my reservations personally to Larry and proceeded to serve the State Dept. as a DAS for Management. 

At the time I came into the State Dept., I knew absolutely nothing about Henry’s background; other than the fact that he and his family had fled Germany [just like mine from France] in 1938 to come to America.

For me, that is an important distinction to be made about anyone who comes to this country and ascends the political pole of the Republican Party. President Nixon also saw in Henry an intellect and strategic mind that matched Nixon’s own brilliance [even if somewhat faulty at times].The truth is that Nixon had initiated most of the policies [China, Soviet] that were accredited to Henry –including the good, the bad, and the ugly[Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia].

Whatever else might be said of Henry Kissinger, one can read in the British historian’s, Niall Ferguson, highly textured biography of Henry during combat operations in WWII and his peacekeeping efforts immediately after WWII. I was extremely impressed by the fact that Henry was battered around the army bureaucracy until he ended up to become of the most sophisticated/capable Counter Intelligence Operatives [CI] in occupied Germany. He served with acumen, empathy and efficiency. Henry has always surrounded himself with some of the brightest, most talented professionals I have ever met. Men like Winston Lord, Hal Saunders, Larry Eagleburger, Charlie Hill, Dick Soloman, John Negroponte, Peter Rodman et. al. [In order to understand Henry’s earlier years in military/civilian leadership, I strongly recommend that you read Ferguson’s book, Kissinger, 1923-1968.]

In contrast, Bernie Sanders was born in Brooklyn, NY.  His parents were Polish Jews who eked out a meager living. As far as I know, Bernie did not rise to the heights of academic achievement as did Henry; nor was he as ambitious to make his mark on history. Bernie went to the University of Chicago which was not, at the time, anywhere near the intellectual gravitas of Harvard or MIT. Then, Bernie did what most American born Jews do—avoid the draft. In his case, it was simple-dying in a useless war was against his faith.  So he requested automatic dismissal from military service on the basis that he was a conscientious objector. Ironically, the neocons [also from the Univ. of Chicago] also avoided the Vietnam Draft; as did many liberals and so-called “intellectuals”, who made certain that they extended their learning/teaching careers throughout that misbegotten war. 

Bernie was such a man. I don’t fault him; nor, do I praise him. He is like many of his university classmates, the neocons, a master wordsmith without the vaguest idea of what war or combat is really all about. These men, like the four Bush sons, were the new leaders of a country that no longer wanted or thought they needed a draft [a big mistake]. For the most part, Bernie and his counterparts, the neocon Jews, quickly entered the legislative branch of our government, espousing all types of ideas that sounded wonderful; but, were quite impossible to implement. In a shorthand way, I can call Bernie Sanders, “the Idealist”. Therefore,  Henry Kissinger, the Realpolitik practitioner, becomes a  pragmatist with a wide variety of successes and failures.

Who is better to serve?

The realist has forced our nation to pay a very large price for unnecessary wars in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The idealist insists that we must spend money to alleviate all injustices created for and by the citizenry of our country.Ideology has become the nectar of wishful thinking in American politics. If you are a conservative, you fight wars. On the other hand, if you are an idealist or socialist, you avoid confrontation and embrace isolationism with a fervor that one day will be costly, in terms of lost opportunities.

Perhaps the most important contribution that Henry made was to take over the helm of foreign policy while Nixon was deteriorating both physically and mentally. As for Bernie, I cannot judge him accordingly. Has he been tested in the same crucible of fire and found wanting?
I don’t think so.

However, times have changed. And “draft dodgers” are aplenty in this race where everyone agrees that they want to destroy ISIS and other virulent terrorist groups.Yet who has had the necessary experience in counter-terrorism to implement an effective policy? Who is capable of surrounding him/herself with the talent to do so?

Bernie? Hillary? Cruz? Rubio? Jeb? Or Trump?

The narcissistic hounds are afoot and let us see which one can finish the race without too much prevarication and wishful thinking.

Shakespeare said it best:

“Such as we are made of, such we be.”