Last June, I was asked to categorically prove something that everyone in Washington believes is true. It was during fact-checking for an article on the legacy of Brent Scowcroft, who had served as national security advisor to two U.S. presidents. In my draft, I offhandedly wrote that every national security advisor since him had pointed to him as a model. When the line was flagged by the editor, I was able to prove that 9 of 10 national security advisors since 1993 had said as much, but I couldn’t find anything from Michael Flynn, who lasted only a few weeks in the job. That was good enough for me and thankfully for the fact-checker as well.
But imitation is not a good enough way to flatter the monumental service and legacy of Scowcroft, who died Thursday at the age of 95. By shaping how Washington and even the world made national security decisions and, more importantly, thought decisions should be made, Scowcroft became more influential than Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, the very presidents he served. Even if Scowcroft lived long enough to see the process he established destroyed by Donald Trump, the former national security advisor redefined what was once normal for Washington and, one suspects, will be again.
