[mississippi red-neck]

Yes it could have been won, but not the way it was fought. You win by taking down the government in opposition and replacing it with one that sees things your way. You can do that by starting at the top and replacing the leaders or by taking the country foot by foot and holding it, or by doing both.

You can't do it by placing the seat of government and it leaders off limits to attack and by taking land in the morning and giving it back in the evening.

[Mr. Thorne]

Another point I've seen made was that, given our choice of allies, our troop rotation was terrible.

The Montagnards, and the other indiginous tribes who were on our side, had a cultural bias against instant trust. They needed to know the people they were dealing with (usually Special Forces). Given our troop rotation schedule, about the time the locals got to trusting someone, we rotated him home!

Or so I've read. Born in '65, I was a bit young for deployment to Viet Nam.

= )