Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Harry Reid and Ed Kennedy need a History Lesson on Vietnam ... among other things


The press was salivating yesterday after President Bush’s address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention. The President used the “V” word in a public speech, Vietnam. ……….Quick everyone run for cover!!

My only response is, it’s about time! The parallels between Vietnam and Iraq as far as a pull out is concerned are irrefutable. I am just surprised that it took the White House this long to get the sound bite our there. As a student, if you will of the political landscape of Vietnam, I can tell you that after the White House, overwhelmed with political pressure from Congress, decided to cut their losses and pull out of Vietnam, it cost our former ally dearly. Millions of Vietnamese in the South were brutally murdered. Those fortunate enough to receive a reprieve from the Communists spent years, some even decades in reeducation camps.

This was all done due to political ideology. Can you imagine what the aftermath would be like for those Iraqis who supported a more democratic environment in such a rigidly fundamentalist view? I can assure you, the insurgents will make Southeast Asia’s vengeance like a day at the park. The killing will be brutal and public for all the world to see.

We must keep in mind that the Internet will give the insurgents their very own outlet to share in the glory of Allah’s victory against the infidels.

I am reminded of a recent Fox News report in which Jane Fonda, after making a brief appearance at a anti-war rally, was confronted by one of Fox’s correspondents. When asked if she felt somewhat responsible for the death of some three million innocent Vietnamese after the fall of Saigon, her response was very telling. She said, nothing. Images of Lady McBeth washing the guilty blood off her hands instantly came to mind when I saw that clip.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid(D-NV), quickly dismissed Bush’s position.

“President Bush’s attempt to compare the war in Iraq to past military conflicts in East Asia ignores the fundamental difference between the two,” he said. “Our nation was misled by the Bush administration in an effort to gain support for the invasion of Iraq under false pretenses, leading to one of the worst foreign policy blunders in our history.”

Huh? You Knucklehead! What got us into the War in Vietnam? Does the Gulf of Tonkin ring any bells? WMDs are a tad more daunting than someone taking a pot shot at one of our boats. And let's be realistic for a moment, shall we? If you announce on international TV that you suspect another nation of having WMDs and then spend 3 months getting the UN off their proverbial tails to send people in to check. What do you think is going to happen while you play nice with Kofi Annan? Those WMDs are going to sneak right out the back doing into Iran.

Sen. Edward Kenney (D-Mass) who, responded to the President’s speech by saying, “The President is drawing the wrong lesson from history” and that we,”lost the war in Vietnam because our troops were trapped in a distant country we did not understand, supporting a government that lacked sufficient legitimacy with its people."

First, to set the Senator straight, we didn’t lose the war in Vietnam. Our troops, just like those fighting in Iraq today, gave the very best they had but were figuratively fighting with one arm tied behind their back because politicians, only concerned with re-election, were Monday morning QBing. Few people are aware of the rules of engagement that were used in various parts of Vietnam. Most of which were mirroring images of what we see today. Politicians with no real comprehension of military tactics or capabilities are sticking their necks where they don’t belong. And, just for the sake of argument, those dimwits in Hollywood can be thrown into this mix as well.

I personally have seen documents that state that US Troops at various points during the war were told they could not shot until engaged by the enemy. That is to say, if a Marine were to see a VC creeping up on their location, he could not take that soldier out until he fired on the Marine’s position. Better yet, is the fact that when US troops were planning operations in areas where there was a civilian population, this is no kidding folks, LEAFLETS were dropped into the areas a few days before to warn the civilians that US Troops would soon be in the area. Hey, there is nothing like letting the enemy know what you are doing before you do it. Who the hell needs spies, we will just give you our play book.

So, Sen. Kennedy, let me leave you with a quote that I sincerely hope you have heard before;

"The mere absesnce of war is not peace" - John F. Kennedy


Update: Here is more to support my point of view