The Kissinger Defense

This is *classic* distortion; particularly funny given Kissinger's
reputation as -- giggle! -- an intellectual.

His defense is as funny as his face is ugly. My favorite bit: "They're not
making any charges involving universal violations"? Wha-huh?

Kendall
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Kissinger rejects criticism  
By Al Webb
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
 
LONDON - Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has characterized legal
moves to question him about war-crime charges as attempts "to settle scores"
dating back three decades. 

Writs have been issued by judicial investigators in France, Chile and
Argentina who want to question the Nobel Peace Prize-winning diplomat in
connection with "Operation Condor," a suspected terror campaign in South
America during the 1970s in which the CIA purportedly targeted leftist
national leaders when Mr. Kissinger was the secretary of state. Spanish
Magistrate Baltasar Garzon, who tried to have former Chilean dictator Gen.
Augusto Pinochet extradited in 1998, also tried to "intercept" Mr. Kissinger
during his London trip last week but failed. Mr. Kissinger, in London to
address the Institute of Directors' annual convention, told the Daily
Telegraph newspaper that the legal maneuvers against him represented a "new
vogue" of employing human rights legislation to settle old debts stemming
from Cold War days.

"What they are attempting to do is to use universal human rights to settle
scores from 30 years ago," he told an interviewer last week as protesters
outside London's Royal Albert Hall called him a "serial killer" among other
epithets.

Dozens of protesters staged a sit-down demonstration that stopped traffic
outside the hall. They called for his indictment on war-crimes charges
stemming from U.S. involvement in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. "They're not
making any charges involving universal violations," Mr. Kissinger, 78, said.
"They're getting into specific issues of the management of American foreign
policy with respect to one very geographically confined situation."

Minutes later, Mr. Kissinger said to some 2,800 businessmen that "quite
possibly" some mistakes had been made in the administrations of presidents
Richard M. Nixon and Gerald Ford, in which he played a key role. "No one can
say that he served in an administration that did not make mistakes," Mr.
Kissinger said. "The decisions made in high office are usually 51-49
decisions, so it is quite possible that mistakes were made." "The issue," he
said, "is whether 30 years after the event courts are the appropriate means
by which determination is made.

"My position is that if the U.S. government thinks it is appropriate for me
to answer the questions of foreign judges about the conduct of American
policy, I will cooperate to the fullest extent." Meanwhile, he said to the
audience of directors, "it is not a refusal on my part to answer questions."

He said that the trend of pursuing unsettled scores from the Cold War by
using human rights legislation could mean trouble for the future. Mr.
Kissinger told the Telegraph: "People should ask whether it is actually
feasible to conduct international policy if high officials, 30 years after
the event, are hounded on tactical matters.

"The pursuit of high officials of foreign governments - especially friendly
governments - should be reserved for truly major human rights violations,"
he said.

Such targets, Mr. Kissinger made it clear, do not include himself.