Posted on 01/16/2005 2:20:28 PM PST by Tarpaulin
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.
When is this guy's liver going to fall out?
Hey Teddy where is your Buick!
This flatulent, drunken, blowhard has done more damage to this country over his time in the Senate than many of our foreign enemies. People of Massachusetts, please retire this man in his next election! Or will he become a Byrd and serve and serve and serve? Hey Fat Teddy, Daschle got thrown out, it could happen to you too!
I know Vietnam was a very complicated affair but an equal portion of the problem that became Vietnam rests with a President named Kennedy.
Deserved repeating.
Teddy is a drunken slob with no sense of the American people. Like Kerry, he is a product of a sheltered liberal environment, a Utopian fool who is committed to hard socialism and absolute government control. But so are all the other members of the DemoRat Caucus in the Congress...
I hope he has a tombstone the size of the Viet Nam memorial, so that we can inscribe all of his socialist ravings on it, so that his scummery will not escape the liberal history books.
Osama obama osama bama osalama obama odamma damma lamma ding dong
[TKennedy is becoming as fun to listen to as Robert Byrd and his 'pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty.']
I've been looking into this. What's the distinction between JFK and Eisenhower in this regard....I know Ike sent advisors there but JFK was the one to send actually military?
It's time for him to GO!
Still spitting seaweed after all these years?
Let's ask Mary Jo's opinion on that.
Oops, we can't can we Ted?
He is just another pissant leftist trying to look relevent. In other news. My gun has killed less people than Ted Kennedy's car.
Well, at least it isn't his Chappaquidick you fat, pickled bastard.
Ted is really driving this analogy over the bridge.
Ted's analogy really doesn't hold water.
Ted's just drowning for the right words to use.
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