Secretary of State, or Secretary of War?

Until the Kellogg Briand Treaty of 1928, war was a legitimate function of government. It was the go-to method of resolving disputes among nations. Any land seized in war was considered legitimate spoils, regardless of the seizing country’s mendacity. Kellogg Briand shifted the paradigm. Aggressive war was deemed a crime and any land seized was not recognized by the international community.

War was so important in U.S. history that the cabinet post for national defense was the Secretary of War. Established in 1781 by the Articles of Confederation, it was carried over into George Washington’s first cabinet, with the War Secretary fifth in line to the presidency in case of vacancy. Fifty-eight men served as Secretary of War till the title was changed to the euphemistic Secretary of Defense in 1947.

While Defense Secretaries play the hardball game of preparing for war, the Secretary of State is charged with the delicate task of avoiding war thru sensible, reasoned negotiations. That’s why I’m a tad confused by President-Elect Biden’s choice of Anthony Blinken to be America’s 74th Secretary of State come January 20. As a Senate staffer, Blinken crafted Biden’s support for the criminal Iraq war of 2003 that got hundreds of thousands of innocents killed and millions fleeing overwhelming U.S. firepower. Then Blinken surfaced in the Obama administarti0n and cheered on our criminal intervention in Libya that has largely destroyed what is now a failed country torn apart by waring factions. Blinken hit a trifecta of failure promoting regime change in Syria by arming largely terrorist rebels that used American weaponry to send untold thousands of innocent Syrians to an early grave.

Failure in Iraq, failure in Libya, failure in Syria did not banish Blinken from public service. He will become Secretary of State next year under a president who also supported or went along with those catastrophic interventions. Maybe Blinken should have been appointed Defense Secretary for which he is eminently more qualified. If so, it would be appropriate to rebrand it for what it truly is: Secretary of War.

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