You give me too much credit. I'm just trying to respond to arguments I disagree with.
The North Vietnamese used the mush-heads on American Campuses for their political and propaganda campaigns. The media was also a willing accomplice.
That's just silly. The rise of the campus leftist loonies was an effect, not a cause of the US defeat in Vietnam. And Summers doesn't disagree.
My late Father ran into a stone wall as a PIO in Nam trying to post articles about volunteer civic action work National Guard and Reserve troops were accomplishing. The guy to killed the stories...Dan Rather.
I'm not going to analyze the validity of the Rather quotation, but I think the numbers of US and Vietnamese casualties speak for themselves. We were fighting without any political or strategic objectives, using tactics that were doomed to failure. Any domestic lunacy was purely coincidental. The costs were enormous, and no gain was possible.
I think the reason we walked away from Vietnam (Notice how I said we did not lose Vietnam.) was a composite of the factors you have named.
I must say that I disagree with you Andy on your opinion that we could NOT have won the war. My opinion on why we walked away is two-fold...
1/ All the branches of the Military were playing "Politics," and the actual Politicians did not help at all. In effect, they became "Armchair Generals.", the actual Pols that is.
2/ (This is the big one for me!) The ENTIRE MORONIC "Escalating Force," doctrine of the US Military at that time. I am not a Vietnam Vet but my CO was one and he sat down and explained this concept to me in length(He did not approve, he said he threw away tagets because of orders.) and it was a laughable strategy. Furthermore, I think all of the propoganda and Anti-US demonstrations actually strengthened the reliance on this foolish doctrine.
Sorry to butt in but I wanted to add my two cents. I realize I am in the minority, I think we could have destroyed them. Dont you think leaving the North relatively unharmed while the South focused on the Guerilla war and we "Escalated," force against the NVA was a tad... moronic?
Mister, I don't give a shit for your acceptance of my Dad's quotation. My Dad was an honorable man and an honest man. He told the truth. I don't give a damn for you spinners who fall in love with some piece of filth who stood up and debated the meaning of the word "is".
You can question me, but don't ever imply my late Father was a liar! My Dad fought in World War II and Viet Nam for this country, and that includes deluded, self-righteous individuals like you.
If you haven't lived it, then you only know what your liberal professors told you. You are living a lie.