Best post-WW2 Secretary of State?

[dazzleman]

Kissinger and Vance

Vance?

You're kidding, right?  Care to explain?

[dazzleman]

Most noteworthy --

Marshall
Acheson
Dulles
Kissinger
Schultz
Baker

By far, the worst was Vance.  He was a typical over-legalistic weak-kneed liberal Democrat.  He was once described as "good man who was ruined by Vietnam."  Probably true.  He resigned because he didn't in principle believe with Carter's rescue attempt of the hostages held by Iran.  Now, I can see having issues with the practicality of the plan, but it takes a real weenie to actually believe that it was wrong to try to rescue the hostages from the clutches of those barbarian freaks.

As far as who was the best, it's hard to say.  Marshall introduced the Marshall Plan that first established US opposition to communist expansion in Europe.  Acheson solidified the foreign policy of containment, and Dulles helped maintain a hard line during the most dangerous years of the cold war.

Kissinger revolutionized American foreign policy in the early 1970s with the opening to China.  Schultz and later Baker were instrumental in winding down the cold war.

OTOH, most of the great ones also had serious flaws, Kissinger in particular.

[dazzleman]

Absolutely Kissenger.  Anyone voting for Albright needs psychiatric help immediately.

Kissinger had his flaws, though.  By 1975, he had gone from being regarded as a water-walker to a political liability.  Ronald Reagan made Kissinger a major issue in his 1976 run against Gerald Ford.

[dazzleman]

Why are you complaining about Vance? You should be thankful for him, without his and Carter's bungling the Hostage Crisis in 1979-80 Carter would have been re-elected, and we never would have had your heroic warrior God Reagan. Now thats an alternate history I'd pay to live in

Really?  Under that alternative history, you may very well have ended up in a communist re-education camp.  I wouldn't wish too hard for it.

[dazzleman]

Except the actual issue of the 70s was communism. It'd be like Dr. Rice focusing her efforts on making contact with aliens because that may be the next big issue for her. Absurd.

But Jake, Carter told Americans to get over their inordinate fear of communism.  And you can see where his policies in that regard led.

Of course, Vance was very soft on the Soviets, a positively dreadful secretary of state.  He should never have been appointed.

[dazzleman]

eagleburger

What did he do?  He was only in office for a few months.