Soapbox

A Lesson in History

Printed in today’s Columbus Dispatch

I respond to Bob Stumpo’s letter (9/21) saying comparing Iraq to Vietnam is “irresponsible”. In fact, we face the real danger that the mistakes of Vietnam are being repeated before our eyes. Don’t take my word for it: consider the following statements from U.S. military experts that the Bush administration would prefer you never heard. (from an article by Sidney Blumenthal at salon.com)

“I see no exit. We’ve been down that road before. It’s called Vietnamisation. The idea that we’re going to have an Iraqi force trained to defeat an enemy we can’t defeat stretches the imagination… In fact, we had more time and money (invested) in state building in Vietnam than in Iraq.”

~Jeffrey Record, professor of strategy at the Air War College

“This is far graver than Vietnam. There wasn’t as much at stake strategically, though in both cases we mindlessly went ahead with the war that was not constructive for US aims. But now we’re in a region far more volatile, and we’re in much worse shape with our allies.”

~ Retired General William Odom, former head of the National Security Agency

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and chillingly, that’s where we’re headed. The president is desperate to appear “consistent” but in this he is consistently wrong. Perhaps, if the leaders of this administration had actually been in Vietnam, they would see it for themselves.