Statesmanship is missing in action, or at least missing in America.
A deceased Jewish friend of mine once told me he thought Henry Kissinger, the now deceased, former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor, was "quite a statesman." I replied, "Certainly not, he was the evilest person ever to live on earth. Medea Benjamin, the antiwar sparkplug at Code Pink and her compatriots, once dangled handcuffs in the face of Kissinger at a Congressional Hearing." [1]
The upcoming election for the U.S. presidency begs the question of what a statesman-like campaign promise might resemble. Here is my suggestion:
The Campaign Pledge
"My fellow Americans: I promise as your new President that all of you will be given the full rights & privileges provided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To all the world's Leaders I propose that we turn our swords into ploughshares. We must avoid ending humanity with a nuclear apocalypse. We must stop polluting Mother Earth. She is our only home. We must replace conflict with cooperation and international competition in sports and other endeavors such as the arts. Once elected I shall immediately start working on fulfilling these promises."
I e-mailed this pledge to the following candidates: President Joe Biden, former president Donald Trump, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Dr. Jill Stein. Nary a one replied even after several follow-ups.
Conclusion
As I said at the outset, statesmanship is MIA.
Notes
1. Code Pink Press Release. Attempting Citizens Arrest of Henry Kissinger for War Crimes. January 29, 2015.
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