Sunday, September 10, 2006
Were Cheney and Rumsfeld scarred by Vietnam?
Just throwing out the thought following a conversation I had with friends last night. The theory: We all know how the '60s lefty types view the world through the prism of Vietnam. But could the reverse be true as applied to the '60s/'70s righty types who were in government during Vietnam and refused to plan for the possibility of a long stay in Iraq precisely because they didn't want another Vietnam? ... I didn't intend to blog about the subject until I read this article about Cheney and noticed how his view on the executive branch's role was shaped by Vietnam and Watergate. Keep in mind that 'insurgency' was once a verboten subject at the Pentagon for decades because of Vietnam -- and a forbidden word as well under the current secretary of defense as it applied to Iraq. ... Just throwing out the theory. I think there's something there. How much, I don't know. But you read it here first. ...
Just throwing out the thought following a conversation I had with friends last night. The theory: We all know how the '60s lefty types view the world through the prism of Vietnam. But could the reverse be true as applied to the '60s/'70s righty types who were in government during Vietnam and refused to plan for the possibility of a long stay in Iraq precisely because they didn't want another Vietnam? ... I didn't intend to blog about the subject until I read this article about Cheney and noticed how his view on the executive branch's role was shaped by Vietnam and Watergate. Keep in mind that 'insurgency' was once a verboten subject at the Pentagon for decades because of Vietnam -- and a forbidden word as well under the current secretary of defense as it applied to Iraq. ... Just throwing out the theory. I think there's something there. How much, I don't know. But you read it here first. ...
