Step Down, Mr. Kissinger

Henry Kissinger is tying up the independent 9/11 commission in needless controversy. With the backing of the White House, he is refusing to divulge his client list despite the potential conflict of interest inherent in leading a top-secret government panel and, at the same time, advising multinational companies. Former Sen. George J. Mitchell has resigned from the panel because he can’t devote enough time to it; Kissinger should do so because he is bringing discredit upon it.

Kissinger’s financial dealings have always been controversial because he broke new ground in cashing in on his name and influence, earning millions and guarding the names of his clients like state secrets. His clients have a big interest in American foreign policy and reportedly include Exxon Mobil, Arco and American Express.

Kissinger has always been eager to advise presidents as a private citizen; however, the question of where his recommendations and the interests of his clients diverged has been ambiguous. In leading a government panel on how well government performed before and after 9/11, he has a duty to put himself beyond the suspicion of using government service to further any personal interests.

Kissinger and the White House pooh-pooh the notion that there’s a problem. The argument is that because he is President Bush’s appointee and unpaid, he has no obligation to make a full disclosure. But the Congressional Research Service has concluded that Kissinger and other members of the commission must name clients who paid over $5,000 in the last two years. Furthermore, the Senate Ethics Committee is sending its objections to the White House.

Given that Vice President Dick Cheney has explicitly stated that he wants to increase executive branch immunity to congressional oversight instituted after Watergate, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the White House’s blanket defense of Kissinger is part of a broader pattern. This is simply the latest administration action that suggests it isn’t eager to have a no-holds-barred investigation, which it resisted until pressure from Congress and the 9/11 victim’s families became overwhelming. Indeed, if full disclosure about 9/11 is what the commission seeks, why is the man in charge someone who championed the secret bombing campaign in Cambodia during the Vietnam War?

The commission is supposed to shed light on what went wrong in government, which is why Kissinger was the wrong man for the job from the beginning. The Bush administration should be more concerned with discovering the causes and consequences of 9/11 than in protecting Kissinger.

Kissinger keeps giving the public new reasons for why he’s unsuitable for this task. He should go, either at the president’s request or through his own reasoned conclusion that he is not doing the commission or his reputation any good.