Went to the Vietnam & the Presidency Conference

It was at the JFK Library, sponsored by the National Archives and all the Presidential libraries. I found the entire conference quite interesting.

Yesterday, there were two panels, mainly of academics, and a keynote address by David Halberstam. The latter had an interesting point in his address about the "lying machine" that started back in the Cold War days (by republicans) and continues to this day, as we all know.

Today, Caroline Kennedy welcomed us. Brian Williams was the moderator, and the day opened with a taped interview Williams did with Jimmy Carter, who was quite critical of bush. The first panel included Henry Kissinger, Alexander Haig, Theodore Sorensen, and Jack Valenti. The first two are still serious war hawks. People in the audience could submit questions, and someone asked Kissinger if there's anything he'd like to apologize for. He said this was not an appropriate time for a question like that.

The next panel was about the Media, with Dan Rather, Steve Bell, and Frances Fitzgerald. Rather talked about how, during Vietnam, the reporting was from the bottom up, with the reporter deciding what story to cover. The reporters also had freedom to travel wherever they wanted to in the country. With technological advances bringing the editors and reporters closer, as well as the consolidation of the media, now the reporting goes from the top down, with story decisions made higher up, as well as the instant nature of technology now used giving the reporter less time and freedom to do the reporting they used to be able to do. And there is greater control of reporters in Iraq.

There was an appearance by the New York Times war reporter just back from Iraq; I apologize that I can't remember his name at this moment. I was disappointed to hear him say that, from the beginning, he thought they should take out Saddam, the second most brutal dictator in the world. No shit!

The third panel was composed of veterans: Wes Clark, Senator Chuck Hagel, NYT columnist Bob Herbert, and Pete Peterson, a POW for 5 1/2 years who later became the first ambassador to Iraq. Another interesting panel. I loved it when Clark said, "Presidents should avoid going to war. It's a last, last, last resort" and "Vietnam was an elective war. So was Iraq."

Those of us in the audience could submit questions, and of course the ones I submitted were not used. :shrug: My question for Dan Rather was: Why is the current media so complicit in 'the lying machine'? I didn't think they'd use that one. LOL

Were any other DUers at the conference?

:kick:

I loved her book (Fire in the Lake).