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.
Mary Jo Kopechne was Tubby's Monica Lewinski, and then she was his Chandra Levy.
1960 Vietnam underway, not an election issue.
1964 Vietnam underway, not an election issue.
1968 Vietnam was election issue. Winning candidate was Republican Nixon, who for 1968 claimed he had a way to end the war. (Opponent democrat Humphrey was ambiguous, along the lines of Kerry. He didn't say pull out, which would admit Johnson's policies had been wrong. But he didn't say fight on until victory. He waffled.)
1972 Vietnam was election issue. Winning candidate was Republican Nixon (landslide) who campaigned for victory with honor. Opponent democrat McGovern would pull out, unilaterally.
So if Iraq is Republican Bush's Vietnam, history would override myth.
However unpopular the biased media portrays Vietnam, the winning candidates were those that would Fight, and the losing candidate would Quit.
Kennedy is relying on the media to hype his rhetoric but it ain't true.
LOL
I was wondering when the Animal House quote was going to be posted. :^)
Yeah, and Chappaquidic is Teddy Kennedy's NASCAR.
Re-aleh a muntha neth a nuh
cBS again!!
Between kerry and kennedy, Mass. Senators are our Troops, Military and war efforts biggest nightmare. Both of these socialist traitors need to be exterminated for the Rats that they are.
Whereas in the very recent election, George Bush was already in Iraq and ran on a claim that his Iraq policy is correct. His opponent LOST by arguing the Iraq policy is flawed. There is no comparison, in THIS case the people voted on exactly what Bush is already doing.
And I never fail to add that Nixon was reelected in a landslide for his succesful Vietnam policy, whereas scumbags like Ted Kennedy then handed a victory to the communists after Nixon resigned.
OOOHHH, excellent! I'll bet you did great in analogies on the SAT's.
The Vietnam conflict came to claim most of McNamara's time and energy. The Truman and Eisenhower administrations had committed the United States to support the French and native anti-Communist forces in Vietnam in resisting efforts by the Communists in the North to control the country. The U.S. role, including financial support and military advice, expanded after 1954 when the French withdrew. During the Kennedy administration, the U.S. military advisory group in South Vietnam steadily increased, with McNamara's concurrence, from just a few hundred to about 17,000. U.S. involvement escalated after the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August 1964 when North Vietnamese naval vessels reportedly fired on two U.S. destroyers. President Johnson ordered retaliatory air strikes on North Vietnamese naval bases and Congress approved almost unanimously the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authoriz-ing the president "to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the U.S. and to prevent further aggression."
From a bio found at SecDef Histories-Robert McNamara
People forget that it was John Kennedy that got us into Viet Nam. Thanks for reminding.
Was it an Olds. I thought that it was a Buick!
JUST GO AWAY, Chapaquidic Swimmer.
Thank you. That's what I was going to sat but I couldn't spell Chappaquidick.
More drunken drivel from Senator Submarine. Does anyone other than the lunatic left or their useful idiots in the mass media still find this guy even slightly relevant?
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