[SoCal Pubbie]

"I know you didn't address Johnson but his escalation of the war was not an error - it was "wag the dog" so as to divert the attention of the American people from the soon to be released Warren Commission Report "

Uh, no. The Warren Commission Report was released in 1964, before ground troops were ordered to Vietnam in 1965. It was "was the dog" though, to make sure no one could say "who lost Vietnam" in the coming elections of '68, as they had after China fell.

[leadpenny]

Uh, no.

Uh, yes. The "wag the dog" happened over a two month period of late 1964 just prior to the election. The Gulf of Tonkin incident was in early August. Johnson and McNamara got their resolution out of congress within a week or so. The Warren Commission Report, which LBJ was micro managing through J. Edgar and others, was released in late September. The 1968 election had nothing to do with the escalation of the war.