John Kerry Responds to Bush’s VFW Speech Invoking Vietnam
by Pamela LeaveyBush offered a defense of Iraq War “surge” today at a speech to the VFW, “declaring that he envisions an American victory there and asserting that a hasty withdrawal by the United States would unleash a bloodbath reminiscent of the Vietnam War era.” His defense of the “surge” is a prelude to the expected “tough battle with Congress over the future of the war” when Congress reconvenes in September. In his speech Bush “accused the Congress of planning to “pull the rug out from under” American troops.”
He said the American pullout from Vietnam more than 32 years ago was to blame for millions of deaths in Cambodia and Vietnam, and for putting a dent in American credibility that lasts to this day.
“Then, as now, people argued that the real problem was America’s presence, and that if we would just withdraw, the killing would end,” Mr. Bush told an audience at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention here today. “The world would learn just how costly these misimpressions would be.”
Senator John Kerry made the following statement in response to the speech today by Bush:
“Invoking the tragedy of Vietnam to defend the failed policy in Iraq is as irresponsible as it is ignorant of the realities of both of those wars,” Senator Kerry said. “Half of the soldiers whose names are on the Vietnam Memorial Wall died after the politicians knew our strategy would not work. The lesson is to change the strategy not just to change the rhetoric. We want democracy in Iraq, but Iraqis must want it as much as we do. Our brave soldiers can’t bring democracy to Iraq if Iraq’s leaders are unable or unwilling themselves to make the compromises that democracy requires. No American soldier should be sacrificed because Iraqi politicians refuse to resolve their sectarian and political differences.
“It is unfortunate that President Bush would want to invoke a false comparison of Vietnam to Iraq, but not surprising that he would oversimplify the differences and overlook the tragic similarities. As in Vietnam, we engaged militarily in Iraq based on official deception. As in Vietnam, more American soldiers are being sent to fight and die in a civil war we can’t stop and an insurgency we can’t bomb into submission. If the President wants to heed the lessons of Vietnam, he should change course and change course now.”
In The Hill: Democrats blast Bush’s Vietnam comparison.
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John Kerry is right. The only lesson to be learned from Vietnam is NOT to get involved in the first place. I know because I was a teenager when Vietnam first happened and I have brothers and friends who tried to fight a fight we couldn’t win. Hindsight is supposed to be 20/20. I guess that’s true unless you were busy partying and avoiding your National Guard duty.
How could a speech like that be given without emptying the room? Who was in there? Who was liking what they heard? The only problem with our Viet Nam experience is that we withdrew our troops? When would withdrawl not have been a problem? Does that mean that we would be better off if we were still there?
Unless Kerry and the others find some way to force the matter, there will be no change of course in Iraq under GWB.
Bingo!
Those that do not learn from their mistakes are condemned to repeat them.
Why can’t Republicans comprehend this simple truth?
Tom
Bush, through this speech, comes across as a drowning man grasping at straws. That which he thinks has substance is a delusion. While it is obvious what he holds forth is only weedy, pathetic material.
Of course, one of the things he failed to mention is that Vietnam was a trumped up war just like this one in Iraq! Nor, did he mention that “we’re fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them here.” Nor, if Vietnam falls, so will the rest of SE Asia, that old “domino” theory.. Those were the drum beats to justify staying in Vietnam and the same ones, warmed over, being used to stay the course in Iraq. Guess what: we did leave Vietnam and not a single one of the Viet Cong followed us home. Nor, did the rest of SE Asia fall like so many dominos. For Bush to use Vietnam as a comparison to Iraq is nothing short of a disgrace! The man is living in another world, one of lies, deceit, misleading, and so on. The real reason for being in Iraq is OIL and anyone with a grain of sense can see that.
One of the ‘stanch’ supporters, Australia, has now admitted that oil was an issue in determing to support Mr. Bush’s war.
Published on 5 Jul 2007 by The Age. Archived on 5 Jul 2007.
Nelson: Oil a factor in Australia’s Iraq deployment
by AAP
The Howard Government has today admitted that securing oil supplies is a factor in Australia’s continued military involvement in Iraq.
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said today oil was a factor in Australia’s contribution to the unpopular war, as “energy security” and stability in the Middle East would be crucial to the nation’s future.
See more at:
http://www.energybulletin.net/31700.html
And you can google Australia and support for Iraq war for more.
I doubt we will see the same admission from THIS administration, given the continuous lies that have been heaped on the American people.
We often quietly and patiently forget
that we are unconscious and actually ignorant
about the basic facts of the Iraq war an dthe Vietnam war. We are fed false truths via the biasedmedia , convenient not to care about. Our indifference towards reality,
our ignorance is a desacration of all those
who gave their life. And of all those who served the country , gave life and limb and came back to find themselve ignored, beshamed, uncared for, irrelevant and forgotten. In such tragics wars as these,
both absolute defeat, our country depicted
itself as the absolute example of inhumanity