So, Henry Kissinger was asked to write a blurb about Jared Kushner for their edition on the 100 Most Influential People of the Year.
Kissinger’s doubtless been here before, asked to dash off something for a book’s inner jacket or to introduce someone of substance whom he can recommend…
...only this time it’s Jared Kushner, and he compares him to Icarus.
“(Icarus was the) Son of Daedalus who dared to fly too near the sun on wings of feathers and wax. Daedalus had been imprisoned by King Minos of Crete within the walls of his own invention, the Labyrinth. But the great craftsman's genius would not suffer captivity. He made two pairs of wings by adhering feathers to a wooden frame with wax. Giving one pair to his son, he cautioned him that flying too near the sun would cause the wax to melt. But Icarus became ecstatic with the ability to fly and forgot his father's warning. The feathers came loose and Icarus plunged to his death in the sea.”
Katy Waldman at Salon has something to say about it under the lede —“Henry Kissinger’s Blurb for Jared Kushner in Times’the Recommendation Letter No Student Wants’…
...but first the blurb.
“Transitioning the presidency between parties is one of the most complex undertakings in American politics. The change triggers an upheaval in the intangible mechanisms by which Washington runs: an incoming President is likely to be less familiar with formal structures, and the greater that gap, the heavier the responsibility of those advisers who are asked to fill it.
This space has been traversed for nearly four months by Jared Kushner, whom I first met about 18 months ago, when he introduced himself after a foreign policy lecture I had given. We have sporadically exchanged views since. As part of the Trump family, Jared is familiar with the intangibles of the President. As a graduate of Harvard and NYU, he has a broad education; as a businessman, a knowledge of administration. All this should help him make a success of his daunting role flying close to the sun.”
Ms. Waldman’s comments:
“Kissinger has a background in academia; surely he is well-versed in the art of the Insincere Recommendation Letter. One begins by summarizing the circumstances that bring one to this moment of feigned support. There’s a new president in town, intangible mechanisms are shifting, when X thing happens, Y other things happen, the most important of which is that I just used up 60 of my 150 words, thank god. Then, one alludes to the fact that one is aware of the recommendee’s existence. Kissinger first met Kushner “18 months ago, when he introduced himself after a foreign policy lecture I had given.” Notice that “introduced himself”—what was Kissinger supposed to do, run away? Anyway, since being buttonholed by this person who not only exists but transverses a space (impressive!), Kissinger reveals that he has corresponded with him “sporadically.”
The utter tenuousness of their connection established, Kissinger moves on to Kushner’s qualifications. Remember that Trump has tasked his son-in-law with, among other things, bringing peace to the Israelis and the Palestinians, destroying ISIS, remaking the government in Silicon Valley’s image, and ending opioid addiction. Here is what Kissinger has to say about the man’s unique talents. First, as a member of Trump’s family, Kushner “is familiar” with the president’s “intangibles.” (This is accurate: Trump’s “intangible assets” as a businessman include his brand recognition and aura of presidential authority, both of which accrue to the benefit of his family.) Second, as someone who has attended school, Kushner is educated. Third, as someone who has administered a company, Kushner “has knowledge” of administration.
If such ringing endorsements don’t leave you inspired, the write-up’s final line offers definitive proof that Jared Kushner, a human person with limbs who once accosted Henry Kissinger after a lecture, deserves all the laurels Time can bestow. The professor compares Kushner to Icarus, an inventor’s son who donned wax wings and impetuously flew too close to the sun. When the wax melted, Icarus fell into the sea. His name is mythological shorthand for hubris. (His father, Daedalus, built the hollow cow that allowed the queen of Crete to have sex with a bull and give birth to the Minotaur, so Icarus/Jared in this metaphor come from a long line of enablers.)”
Poor Jared’s list of responsibilities would tax the talents of the scores of seasoned State Department veterans he is expected to replace, it is no wonder the old war criminal Kissinger is reluctant to heap praise on him, proffered crow he knows he will have to eat without sauce ere soon...if he lives long enough.
Heaven Forfend.
No, more likely Kushner will end up like the protagonist of David Moolten’s poem about the above Chagall Painting...
He doesn’t fall into the sea, but back
Towards Russia, a shtetl’s chicken coop houses,
Crowds clutching children who point and wave.
They’ve cleared a space for him among their donkeys,
A boy in shades of grey, of wood fire’s ash…
David Moolten