Headlines to the contrary, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger did not endorse Jon Huntsman as our next president today.
At a small session hosted by his “occasional adversary but permanent friend” Donald Rumsfeld to discuss Kissinger’s latest bestseller, On China, Kissinger was directly asked what he thought of Huntsman as a presidential contender. Kissinger stated his view that Huntsman had been “a very good ambassador” and was “a very intelligent man.” Pressed by Steve Clemons for an endorsement, Kissinger stopped short, joking that “I normally don’t endorse candidates, and part of the reason is that when I endorse a candidate, he loses.” He simply reiterated that Huntsman was able and “well poised.”
Additionally, he allowed that it was his hope that the Republican Party would nominate someone with a reasonable foreign policy, presumably meaning someone who shares his pragmatic Realism. Along those lines, he continues to be “available for foreign policy advice” but, at age 88, not interested in a formal role in government.
I’ll have more on Kissinger’s thoughts on China in a later post and a review of his fascinating book once I’ve finished it. (I’m at the stage where Nixon is doing the thing that only he can do.)
