Lex has a worthwhile post up today,
Thirty-four years on, the Vietnam War is still shaping perceptions at the top levels of government and the military. Not surprisingly, those perceptions are shaped as much by participant’s predisposition as it is by the facts on the ground:...more
The two draw decidedly different lessons from the Vietnam War. The first book describes a White House in 1965 being marched into an escalating war by a military viewing the conflict too narrowly to see the perils ahead. President Barack Obama recently finished the book, according to administration officials, and Vice President Joe Biden is reading it now.
The second describes a different administration, in 1972, when a U.S. military that has finally figured out how to counter the insurgency is rejected by political leaders who bow to popular opinion and end the fight.
1 comment:
It's sad to remember the war in Southeast Asia, but the Army never lost a battle to the enemy, either VC or NVA. We kicked their butts every time they came out to play. We were hamstrung by political will and the loss of political will is eventually what led to our defeat.
If we've learned anything, it should be that political will is the most important part of the fight.
Oh! and I'll never understand why Jane Fonda wasn't hanged for treason.
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