When people think of what a perfect national security adviser would look like, they tend to picture Brent Scowcroft. It’s not an exaggeration to refer to the retired Air Force general, presidential counselor, and foreign policy workhorse as the most effective and knowledgeable national security adviser the United States has ever had. His decadeslong career, encompassing significant events in history such as President Richard Nixon’s trip to China, the fall of the Berlin War, and the collapse of the Soviet Union, is rivaled by few (if any) of his peers.
Scowcroft’s passing at the age of 95 is a sad event for those who looked up to him as a foreign policy wise man. But it should also serve as a reminder of how desperate Washington, D.C., is in need of men and women with the kind of prudence, character, and wisdom Scowcroft exhibited throughout his long and storied career.
