Guest Opinion: Nixon’s Vietnam strategy destroyed American lives

theintell ^ | 03/02/2020 | Jean Mollack

[ChicagoConservative27]

Two recent letters to this newspaper have reminded readers of Richard Nixon’s actions during the Vietnam War: how he escalated the terrible conflict and expanded it into Cambodia and Laos before finally agreeing to the long overdue settlement that ended it.

The year of 1968 was unforgettable to history. There were so many events happening then: the war in Vietnam, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, the Tet Offensive, the riots after King’s murder, the unrest at the Democratic convention after Kennedy’s slaying where Humphrey took the nomination from Eugene McCarthy, the presidential campaign between Hubert Humphrey and Richard Nixon, and Lyndon Johnson’s attempts to reach a settlement to end the war. These topics were well reported in the news media.

Throughout the run for The White House, Richard Nixon kept insisting that he had a solid plan to end the war, but he could not talk about it during the campaign. He was also very critical of Johnson’s actions on that front.

[ChicagoConservative27]

Kennedy started it, LBJ turned it into a cluster f&^%, and Nixon tried to end it.

[bkopto]

Nixon’s Vietnam strategy destroyed American lives

Nixon's gold strategy is destroying American lives, escalating since 1971.

[Vaquero]

Since WW2 we haven’t fought a war to win it. I reject all such wars.

[bert]

By visiting China, the war was rendered unnecessary.

With Vietnam flanked by China, Russia no longer mattered. There could be no IndoChina domino effect

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

As I recall Nixon tried to end it by winning it by bombing the F out of the gooks, but the left protested it until he stopped which eventually led us to defeat. That’s when the Rat party of today began, when the commies like Jane Fonda took over the Democrap party

[Portcall24]

Don’t ever tell me that this Nation doesn’t leave its service members behind. We left hundreds behind in SEA.

[wally_bert]

That never made any sense to me.

[Leaning Right]

Blaming Nixon (in any way) for the Vietnam debacle would be like blaming Obama or Trump for Afghanistan. LBJ owns Vietnam. And Bush II owns Afghanistan.

[FreedomPoster]

Grenada, but that was more of a police action.

But you’re generally correct, and I agree with your rejection.

[Candor7]

You are 100% correct-o-mundo!

[gr8eman]

Yes...it’s amazing how Orwellian revisionist history is used to effect over the years. The commies are STILL pissed at Nixon for prosecuting Alger Hiss! Got to hand it to them...they have long memories, and can teach college courses on how to hold a grudge...oh wait!

[hinckley buzzard]

Only problem with this is, Nixon did end the war. Clearing out the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Cambodia was part of the strategy. He had a plan, called “Vietnamization,” which was to turn the fighting over to the Vietnamese and bring troops home. He began to do this early in his first term.. The marathon “Paris peace talks” finally led to an official agreement. All the rest is just talk.

[Mouton]

“Nixon sent his own private messenger, Anna Chennault, to representatives of the government of South Vietnam telling them to reject Lyndon Johnson’s peace plan. In his message to the South Vietnamese, he insisted he would give them a better deal if elected president.” Right from the BBC news. Also in there was a reference to LBJ bugging both Nixon and one of his campaign aids.

LBJ had withdrawn from consideration from the 69 election. Perhaps Nixon did have a plan but IMO that idea was dashed when Cronkite went on the news the war could not be won after Tet Offensive (the one where the NVA were severely destroyed as a force). According to the BBC article this is drafted from, LBJ told Humphrey about what was going on but Humphrey believed he was going to win the election and decided to not go public with an accusation.

[pfflier]

Only problem with this is, Nixon did end the war.

How dare you contradict the revisionists!! All republican president are bad.

[marktwain]

In WWII, the Left in the U.S. were all against the war until the NAZIs invaded the Soviet Union. They were all for the war, as long as it saved the Soviets.

We have had a fifth column in the Legacy Media ever since.

[originalbuckeye]

Any ‘newswriter’ will never blame any Democrat. This isn’t a surprise.

[Verginius Rufus]

The author forgot to include, among the unforgettable events of 1968, how President-Elect Nixon sent John Kerry into Cambodia about Christmas time.

[Leep]

Nixon was the first President the blood thirsty left took down.
And they have been trying to relive the glory days ever since.

[bert]

There were many many anti war Republicans who eventually called what was to be WW II Mr Roosevelts war.

Pat Buchanan and his Brigadiers are the remaining legacy

Citation

Winds of War
In Harms Way