Stitzer's Take: Book Review: "Nixon and Kissinger" by Robert Dallek

If you are looking for Win or Die Picks, they are listed in the post immediately below this one. As for this post, it is Mr. Stitzer's review of a book on Kissinger & Nixon that he just completed...as you would expect if you know Stitzer, it is a nice review of a book that many of us would not choose to read but that represents an important part in US history. Of course, Stitzer does not miss an opportunity to Hillary bash when he gets the chance! Enjoy...
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Having read Dallek’s last book, “JFK: an Unfinished Life,” and having thoroughly enjoyed both the writing style and the content, Dallek’s latest book quickly caught my eye. What appealed to me most was the title. I have refrained from reading a full blown biography on Nixon, as I have no desire to read hundreds of pages of Watergate minutia. And while the last few chapters of this book are rife with Watergate details, they are presented in context as to how the domestic nightmare of Watergate affected foreign policy. As each year passes us by, it is easier and easier to forget that Nixon’s 5.5 years in the White House were filled with foreign policy triumphs, disasters, questionable decisions, ridiculous decisions, and groundbreaking ventures. Nixon’s equal partner in USA foreign Policy was Henry Kissinger – a name that is probably unknown to most Americans born after 1975.

Dallek does a nice job on 2 chapters dedicated to the early lives and careers of RN & HK – not too in-depth, but enough to get a feel for who they were as people; what their strengths were & what their weaknesses were. Without giving away too much, what struck me right off the bat was how this was a marriage made in heaven & hell at the same time. From almost day 1 of his administration, RN made it clear to newly appointed National Security Council Chief Henry Kissinger “Foreign Policy will not come from State but from NSC – the White House will control it.” RN was a paranoid control freak – what President in their right mind would in essence turn his Secretary of State into a figurehead? The purpose of having an NSC is to have a balance against a State Department that could potentially run rampant. One of Ford’s first decisions was to name an NSC director as a counterweight against the Secretary of State he inherited – Kissinger (appointed to this position by RN early in his second term).

Dallek covers the ironies that RN, a GOP Congressman, Senator, VP, & ultimately President, who advanced his career by red-baiting Liberal and not-so-Liberal Democratic opponents into submission, did more than any post-WWII Prez to put the USA on friendly terms with the USSR & China (also not lost on Dallek were his observations, that as usual, the Conservatives stuck to their beliefs by condemning Nixon for this, and the Liberals, who care more about their party than their country, did not give RN credit, despite this policy of détente being in line with their core beliefs).

It seems amazing that only 35 years ago, that we had a Secretary of State that pretty much acted without Presidential directives to fly around the world and try to institute US Policy. As 1973 turned to 1974, and RN was subject to violent mood swings due to Watergate, HK was a one man band putting out fires in the Middle East, trying to ensure that N. Vietnam and the Viet Cong and Saigon honored the false peace, advancing relations with China, promoting SALT talks and summits with the Soviets, and attempting to keep a lid on US actions in Chile (some really good stuff in this book on Chile – do want to spoil it for you). HK’s successes conjured mixed emotions from RN – he was proud of what his administration was accomplishing, but his ego could not overcome that HK was receiving more praise from the Media (had RN listened to HIMSELF he would have understood that the Liberal Media was of course praising one of their own – a Harvard elitist – rather than the a GOP President).

Ultimately, Watergate brought the whole House of Cards down – and rightfully so. You had a President caught on tape directing the CIA to impede an FBI investigation and threatening to use the IRS to as a weapon to attack his enemies (at least Slick Willie was smart enough to not be caught on tape when he DID direct the IRS to attack his enemies). Dallek demonstrates that RN was so insecure & paranoid that he could not help himself by giving the OK for CREEP (committee to re-elect the president) to commit crimes to ensure a landslide victory in an election he was going to win anyway. RN’s justification that the Democrats stole the 1960 elections and wiretapped his 1968 campaign HQ does not hold water. The President cannot be an obstructor of justice (something we should all think about as the 2008 election approaches and one of the leading candidates committed acts that would have impeached a President 35 years ago – and the ultimate irony is that this 2008 candidate was a congressional assistant to the Rodino, the author of the articles of Nixon’s impeachment). The other argument that does not hold water is that RN was protecting those loyal to him. Presidents cannot afford to protect criminals, especially those undertaking illegal actions that were approved by the President.

The highlight of the book is Dallek’s writing. It is as if you are reading a really good fiction book. Unfortunately, especially as it related to Vietnam, this is anything but fiction.