A Political Quagmire - Iraq/Vietnam, Bush/LBJ parallels, in detail

This is a long article that goes into a lot of detail. Interesting.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/8679404.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
America Votes | A political quagmire for Bush
Iraq and Vietnam, Bush and LBJ, and one more parallel: War threatens to topple another U.S. president.
By Dick Polman
Inquirer Staff Writer

Four decades separate the war in the jungle from the war in the desert, yet the current president from Texas sounds eerily similar to another president from Texas.

George W. Bush says, "Now is the time, and Iraq is the place." Lyndon B. Johnson said, "The time is now, and the place is Vietnam." Bush says, "Bring 'em on." Johnson said, "Nail the coonskin to the wall."

Bush says, "We are fighting that enemy in Iraq... so that we do not meet him again on our own streets, in our own cities." Johnson said, "If we quit Vietnam, tomorrow we'll be fighting in Hawaii, and next week we'll have to fight in San Francisco."

Bush says, "America's objective in Iraq is limited." Johnson said, "We seek no wider war." Bush says, "We must not waver." Johnson said, "We will not grow weary." Both said that America can't "cut and run." Both faulted critics as "nervous nellies."

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

Forty years ago. The parallels are astounding. A war built on a LIE, a craven Congress, and a collaborating press.


http://www.fair.org/media-beat/940727.html

Tonkin Gulf Lie Launched Vietnam War

snip>

The official story was that North Vietnamese torpedo boats launched an "unprovoked attack" against a U.S. destroyer on "routine patrol" in the Tonkin Gulf on Aug. 2 -- and that North Vietnamese PT boats followed up with a "deliberate attack" on a pair of U.S. ships two days later.

The truth was very different.

snip>

In the absence of independent journalism, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution -- the closest thing there ever was to a declaration of war against North Vietnam -- sailed through Congress on Aug. 7. (Two courageous senators, Wayne Morse of Oregon and Ernest Gruening of Alaska, provided the only "no" votes.) The resolution authorized the president "to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression."

The rest is tragic history.

snip>

Nearly three decades later, during the Gulf War, columnist Sydney Schanberg warned journalists not to forget "our unquestioning chorus of agreeability when Lyndon Johnson bamboozled us with his fabrication of the Gulf of Tonkin incident."

Schanberg blamed not only the press but also "the apparent amnesia of the wider American public."

And he added: "We Americans are the ultimate innocents. We are forever desperate to believe that this time the government is telling us the truth."

Wouldn't it be wonderful if Bush did an LBJ and decided not to run again. Maybe God will tell him to go back to Crawford for keeps.

patriotism of LBJ. For all of LBJ's faults and he had many, at least he was an honorable man and he was a patriot, which meant he was willing to check his own ambition and large ego for the good of the country. Bush will always do what is best for Bush, damn the effect on the country. I hope I am wrong but I see no evidence of it so far.

You know, it's nice to try and claim innocence and all, but this is simply not acceptable.

For one thing, this country lost it's virginity a long time ago. We've had our own flrtations with genocide, rampant slavery, racism and on and on. WE WERE THE FIRST COUNTRY TO USE ATOMIC WEAPONRY.

All in all, there is no good case to be made for this innocence. As a country, we need to face facts. We are NOT the end all be all of civilization, nor are we 'gods' gift to the world. We are, in fact, a very meager percentage of the worlds population, that cosumes more than our fair share of resources. We've bribed and assassinated and destabilized and every other under handed thing. We are by no means innocent, and it's time we started acting like a responsible member of the global community, rather than a psychotic, heavily armed band of desperados.

I think the author means "innocent" in the sense of gullible or willfully ignorant. The point being that the American populace can never stand to believe that their leaders are lying and covering up evil.

I completely agree about America's view of itself as "innocent." I remember after 9-11 many pundits said "America has lost its innocence." That always seemed to be the height of self-delusion, a total lack of understanding of America's true role in the world.

He, not the indifferent Kennedys, saw the Civil Rights Act through Congress. For that reason alone he is a much greater occupant of the White House than the pathetic Bush. But hell, even Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan look great next to Bush.

in his current state, to Bush, in his--- for a leader.

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The orignial article is so long that the excerpted paragraphs represent a small fraction of it. Seems to be too late to edit this one, but I will stick with that rule next time.