George F. Kennan, 1904-2005 RIP

How quickly we forget some of the original cold warriors. George Kennan first gained attention as "X" the author of the very long telegram from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow outlining the policy of containment which guided American foreign policy dealings with Soviet Union for decades. Or at least until Ronald Reagan decided it was time to tell the communists to "tear down this wall." How long ago it seems we feared the Soviet Union would unleash a nuclear weapon against us. But back to Kennan, while his policy of containment proved useful in the early days of the Truman Doctrine and fight against the soul-sucking communists, he was unwilling to change or adapt any of his thoughts on the matter. Ultimately Kennan did not believe in democracy nor did he think the U.S. had any business trying to bring liberty to other countries. In other words Kennan turned out to be another narrow-minded liberal elitist who was certain he was superior to the rest of us Americans.

Read the full story in the Washington Post