Yes, and to compare Iraq to Viet Nam demonstrates a
complete ignorance of history. The U.S. was involved in
Viet Nam for over a decade and lost 58,000 troops. The
causes and nature of the conflicts have no parallel. The
tragedy of Viet Nam is the mental rut that so many are
still stuck in -- members of the media, academe, and
politics of a certain age can't get over it and it affects
all their views on foreign policy in a very negative way.
Kerry and Kennedy are good examples. Some people of that
generation are caught in a time/space warp. It's time to
turn the page.
It's time to turn the page.
This is exactly right. I think that John Kerry's defeat plus a success in Iraq will officially mark the close of the Vietnam era. It will bury the controlling meme of that era, which is that the American military is incapable of rendering good outcomes in the world. It'll be the one-two punch that decisively draws the curtain on that part of our history. America will have moved on.