Not so long back I came across a link to an obituary for the late Chalmer's Johnson. I read it and was a bit surprised that the spelling was as bad as mine in places, though I was most curious about the claim that Chalmers was the intellectual equal if not superior to Henry Kissinger. Unlike a lot of people who try to get into Kissinger debates I've had the good fortune to read 'Years of Upheaval' which is part two of his autobiographical trilogy.
It's an amazing read not because Kissinger writes well but because of it's comprehensive detail and let's face it, sheer chronological historical narrative. This is the guy who invented shuttle diplomacy. A German Jew flitting back and forth between Tel Aviv, Cairo, Riyadh, Damascus and Jordan. Then there's the Paris peace accord with Vietnam, Soviet détente, and secret trips to Peking in preparation for Nixon's visit, the oil crisis and so on and so forth. Truly remarkable times.
I disagreed with the obituary though I've had to change my mind. If there's one video worth watching from this weekends political bender this is the one. It's all there and most troubling for me, an emerging understanding of why the Euro is plummeting against the dollar as the empire makes it's last gasp efforts to hold on to the past. I urge you to watch this. Chalmers Johnson is in a different intellectual league to Kissinger. A man able to delineate between the expedient thing and the right thing. Something Kissinger isn't qualified to comment on.
RIP Mr Johnson you were a great American patriot.
