How do you blame Cronkite for pointless disasters like Hill 875? Or the countless nameless conflicts over the exact same pieces of land that killed so many? Mainly because once defeated the land was just left for the enemy to return?
I agree with you that many things were handled poorly, and I do agree the US Press was disingenuous, and that Congress was cowardly. I agree the war was winnable, and worth fighting, but I also without question believe our forces were betrayed from the outset by politicians and their leaders.
I agree. Both Kennedy and Johnson were worried about getting re-elected. But Cronkite, “the most trusted man in America”, went on tv after the Tet Offensive, a major victory, and claimed it was a major defeat. That had a lot of influence. Vietnam is too complicated to blame any one person. But, if we had bombed the hell out of Hanoi early, and mined their harbors,it may have made a difference.