The Vietnam War–John Kerry Was Right. US President Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, used a provocation of Vietnam as the basis for attacking the country. Known as “The Gulf of Tonkin Incident”, a US destroyer, the Maddox, was on aggressive intelligence gathering maneuvers a day after US attacks had increased against North Vietnam. A supposed torpedo attack against the Maddox never happened, yet that evening President Johnson used the “incident” as “justification” to begin the aerial bombardment of North Vietnam.
George Romney, father of 2008 presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and one-time governor of Michigan, was asked by President Johnson to be part of a “fact-finding” group to Vietnam during the war. Romney initially said the US presence was needed there, but a few months later, Romney
reconsider[ed] his position and, having further information, he said that those who had gone on the trip were “brainwashed” into accepting the pro-war stance. That statement was not popular at the time, but has since become a common view. Jack Monnett, Awakening to our Awful Situation, p. 162-163
Pro-War Propaganda Comes from Both Major Political Parties. That ought to tell us something that Democrats (Harry Truman in the Korean War, and Lyndon Johnson in the Vietnam War) initiated the pro-war propaganda that Republican George W. Bush has perfected in the last 6 years.
Woodrow Wilson campaigned for re-election on the slogan
He kept us out of war.
Franklin D. Roosevelt said
Our acts must be guided by one single, hardheaded thought — keeping America out of the war.
Guess who said the following?
I think one way for us to end up being viewed as ‘the ugly American’ is for us to go around the world saying, ‘We do it this way; so should you.’
…I don’t think our troops ought to be used for what’s called ‘nation building.’
If we’re an arrogant nation, they’ll resent us. If we’re a humble nation, but strong, they’ll welcome us.
(See Revolution: A Manifesto, p. 11)
Give up? That would be George W. Bush.
