The Decline of the West, From Henry to Hillary
6th September 2014
If you want to see the epitome of jejunosity at work (as Woody Allen put it in Love and Death) look no further than Hillary Clinton’s Washington Post review of Henry Kissinger’s new book, World Order. I almost wonder whether the Post published this as a deliberate act of cruelty to Hillary, who is obviously not ready for prime time.
The review begins with this profound gem: “When Americans look around the world today, we see one crisis after another.” When you see a lede like this, you can be sure you are in the presence of no ordinary mind. And sure enough, the rarified judgments just come tumbling one after another in a display of virtuoso brilliance not seen since Thomas Jefferson dined alone:
When I walked into the State Department in January 2009, everyone knew that it was a time of dizzying changes, but no one could agree on what they all meant. . .
Wait, this is supposed to be a review of a Kissinger book, right? Yes, but what book review by a Clinton wouldn’t turn into a vehicle for Clinton self-promotion and self-satisfaction? (And no jokes, please, about waiting for Bill Clinton’s self-satisfying review of Fifty Shades of Gray.)