Apocalypse ... Now? Press Explores Bush's Iraq/Vietnam Link

Apocalypse ... Now? Press Explores Bush's Iraq/Vietnam Link


By Greg Mitchell

Published: August 22, 2007 10:55 AM ET

NEW YORK After years of mocking those who drew comparisons between the U.S. engagements in Vietnam and Iraq, war supporters are now invoking them – led by commander-in-chief George W. Bush, in a much-publicized speech today at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Kansas City.

Now, how will the media respond to the “Vietnamization” of rhetoric on Iraq, as unveiled by President Bush today? At least three major papers have already sought out critics who have tried to debunk it.

USA Today located Stanley Karnow, one of the leading scholars on the Vietnam war. “Vietnam was not a bunch of sectarian groups fighting each other,” as in Iraq. “Does he think we should have stayed in Vietnam?”

Robert Dallek, author of several celebrated biographies of recent U.S. presidents, including Lyndon Johnson, told the Los Angeles Times: “"It just boggles my mind, the distortions I feel are perpetrated here by the president.

"We were in Vietnam for 10 years. We dropped more bombs on Vietnam than we did in all of World War II in every theater. We lost 58,700 American lives, the second-greatest loss of lives in a foreign conflict. And we couldn't work our will," he said.

"What is Bush suggesting? That we didn't fight hard enough, stay long enough? That's nonsense. It's a distortion," he continued. "We've been in Iraq longer than we fought in World War II. It's a disaster, and this is a political attempt to lay the blame for the disaster on his opponents. But the disaster is the consequence of going in, not getting out."

more...

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003628927

to even utter the name "Vietnam War" in public. Do they think they can get away with ANYTHING now?

...and not be tar and feathered!

:grr:

And sadly, I don't see much changing.

Exactly right, and that is the answer to anyone who invokes the "Well, we're there now so we have a responsibility to do it right" nonsense. That ship sailed 4+ years ago. Yes Iraq is broken, and yes we broke it, but the Iraqis don't WANT us to fix it, and will not accept our attempts to do so. There is nothing we can do except leave and accept that whatever happens afterward is our fault. Offer the Iraqis whatever help they ask for and nothing else. Our ability to influence any longer what ultimately the Iraqi people do ended years ago.