Posted on 01/16/2005 5:21:03 PM PST by Jacob Kell
WASHINGTON (AFP) - America's ongoing military entanglement in Iraq (news - web sites) has become President George Bush (news - web sites)'s Vietnam, US Senator Edward Kennedy, a leading member of the opposition Democratic party, said.
The harsh words refer to the US role and ultimate defeat in the 1964-1975 Vietnam war.
Iraq is "clearly is George Bush's Vietnam," said Kennedy, speaking on CBS's "Face The Nation" program.
Kennedy then blasted Bush's claim in an interview in Sunday's Washington Post that his Iraq policy was endorsed by the US public because of his November 2004 re-election victory.
"I think that's ridiculous," said Kennedy. He quickly referred to the 1964 elections, when Democrat Lyndon Johnson, who had increased US military involvement in Vietnam, defeated Republican Barry Goldwater by an overwhelming majority.
Johnson then had to "basically abdicate the presidency" when he announced in March 1968 that he would not seek re-election, largely due to the drain on time, resources and his popularity resulting from failures in Vietnam.
According to Kennedy, Iraq "is a disaster because it's the a result of blunder after blunder after blunder. And it is George Bush's Vietnam," he insisted.
It has "absolutely been a mistake that we went into Iraq, instead of following (September 11 mastermind) Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)," said Kennedy.
Further mistakes included not having enough troops for post-war operations, disbanding the Iraqi army, having single source contracts to groups like the politically connected Halliburton, the prisoner abuse scandals at Abu Ghraib, and the US refusal to accept offers by other countries such as Egypt to assist in training Iraqi forces, said Kennedy .
"Finally they have been unable to make up a plan -- they're making it up day by day. Until Iraqis are going to fight for their own country we are going to have a very, very dangerous situation," said Kennedy.
As for the upcoming elections in Iraq, "We have to let the Iraqis make the judgment and the decision about the elections. The United States has been manipulating and making all the calls in terms of Iraq. The Iraqis have to make the judgments," he said.
Kennedy also believes neighboring countries should be enlisted to encourage Sunni Iraqis to participate in the electoral process.
"Ultimately, we have to ask ourselves this very basic question. And that is, is the face of the United States part of the liberation and security and the stability in that country, or are we a force that is perceived to be expanding the kind of uncertainty and savagery and revolution that's taking place there?" he asked
Maybe they figure if they say it enough times, people will start to agree. I'm not a democrat so I don't know why that would be a good thing however.
Ahhhh Ted... Have you stopped drinking and driving yet?
There`s a difference between Iraq and Vietnam; This current President wants to win.
Giga-Dittos! The difference is Geo. Bush about his mandate. Jfk and Bobby were busy tag-teaming Marilyn.
A bit of friendly advice: you're getting elderly and haven't cared well for your health these past few decades. It may be a good idea to be thinking of where your soul is likely to spend eternity and focus your attention in that direction rather than continuing the bitter partisan attacks of your younger earthly conterparts. You may have deferred earthly judgement concerning your treatment of Mary Jo for a few decades, but ultimate judgement is soon to come.
P.S. The ACLU and the Democratic machine hold no sway with the court you will face.
And Chappaquidick was Mary Jo Kopechne graveyard. Too bad it wasn't Teddy's Cambodia or Vietnam.
I am so sick of the Vietnam allusion. Vietnam was due to the left's cowardice and treason.
Nobody watches the show and nobody cares what "The Floater" thinks. So, it's a double nobody story!
I.hate.ted.kennedy.
"Iraq is clearly George Bush's Vietnam", said kennedy...
How would he know?
ted kennedy hasn't seen anything "clearly" for over 2 decades.
The Vietnam war was the longest in our nation's history.
1st American advisor was killed on June 08, 1956,
and the last casualties in connection with the war occurred on May 15, 1975, during the Mayaquez incident. Approximately 2.7 million Americans served in the war zone; 300,000 were wounded and approximately 75,000 permanently disabled. Officially there are still 1,991 Americans unaccounted for from SE Asia.
Vietnam was a savage, in your face war where death could and did strike from anywhere with absolutely no warning. The brave young men and women who fought that war paid an awful price of blood, pain and suffering. As it is said: "ALL GAVE SOME ... SOME GAVE ALL"
The Vietnam war was not lost on the battlefield. No American force in ANY other conflict fought with more determination or sheer courage than the Vietnam Veteran. For the first time in our history America sent it's young men and women into a war run by inept politicians who had no grasp of military strategies and no moral will to win. They were led by "top brass" who were concerned mainly with furthering their own careers, most neither understood the nature of the war nor had a clue about the impossible mission with which they'd tasked their soldiers. And the war was reported by a self serving Media who penned stories filled with inaccuracies, deliberate omissions, biased presentations and blatant distorted interpretations because they were more interested in a story than the truth! It can be debated that we should never have fought that war. It can also be argued that the young Americans who fought so courageously, never losing a single major battle, helped in a huge way to WIN THE COLD WAR.
And "Chappaqui-DICK" screwed your presidency!
He's not even worth commenting on.
I wish for once a Republican politician would have the nerve to say something like "Iowa was Howard Dean's Chappaquidick" or "the Swiftboat Vets were John Kerry's Chappaquidick".
I wonder if Teddy is happy that the Pat's won. But then again, the old drunk probably doesn't even know any of the players.
A liver is a terrible thing to waste, Ted. So's a brain.
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