Iraq is to Vietnam as Dubya is to WTF!?!?
Just as effective democracy assumes and requires the consent of the governed, so does an effective analogy assume and require a common set of beliefs and experiences among its intended audience. This week, George W. Bush finally made the analogous connection he has so vehemently avoided between Iraq and Vietnam. But, as he has done with Biblical interpretation and the English language, the boy has badly mangled the meaning.
On August 22, Bush used his speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars to yet again to "reframe" the Iraq debate. How long can you "reframe" something before you realize that the problem is your crappy art and not the choice of a speckled mahogany vs. fluted sterling silver enclosure? Answer: at least four years.
After rehashing freedom-loving, fascist-hating arguments previously applied to American mid-century intervention in Europe, Shrubya used Microsoft Word's search-and-replace feature to tell the story with Asians. That's when he broke out the surprise Vietnam analogy.
However, it was neither the well-understood Vietnam-as-quagmire nor the equally-applicable Vietnam-as-conflict-he-avoided that the president relied upon. No, Bush rested his latest justification on Vietnam-as-lost-because-we-didn't -stay-long-enough. Yeah, that was just the problem. Think about it. Had we stayed longer, we could have killed every last person in Vietnam and won the damn thing, but those perpetual back-stabbers in Washington again failed to support the troops.
Bush's strategery in this case, as with global warming, evolution and other facts, depends on creating doubt. He said things like:
1. "Now, I know some people doubt the universal appeal of liberty, or worry that the Middle East isn't ready for it."
2. "Others believe that America's presence is destabilizing, and that if the United States would just leave a place like Iraq those who kill our troops or target civilians would no longer threaten us."
3. "Here at home, some can argue our withdrawal from Vietnam carried no price to American credibility, but the terrorists see things differently."
4. "Three decades later, there is a legitimate debate about how we got into the Vietnam War and how we left."
No, there isn't. This is a complex literary device known as "bullshit," which is employed all too often by people who don't know what they're talking about. I, too, can invoke the tree hugging, ape-descending, freedom-hating "some" and "others" to create a "legitimate" debate where none legitimately exists. Watch me work my magic:
1. Some can argue that babies come from a magical stork that shoves the fetus into a woman's body moments before birth then teleports back to its home in the trash can where Oscar the Grouch lives.
2. Others believe that babies are always inside of women, remote controlling them like that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles villain, Krang, the talking, fluid-dripping, pink brain that installed himself inside an ogre's abdomen in order to defeat our turtle heroes.
3. There is a legitimate debate about how a woman becomes pregnant.
For Bush to sell the Iraq war by using America's most shameful military expedition of the 20th century shows just how desperate he is. He's not just drinking the Kool-Aid, he's freebasing the powder.
Follow Baratunde Thurston on Twitter: www.twitter.com/baratunde
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It's just like listening to Henry Kissinger.
This was his mantra.
Never surrender.
Iraq is to Vietnam as Johnson is to Bush. Both Presidents from Texas. Both amped up a war on lies (Gulf of Tonkin vs. WMD's). As LAdy Bird is to Cheney (Brown & Root vs. Halliburton-no bid contracts). Cheney had to pull some strings to be a Wyo. rep after not having voted in Wyo. for 16 yrs.(a Texan). Something in that Texas kool aid (Pres. and V.P. candidates can't be from same state). They're crooks and they made a lot of money. They both trumpeted illegal workers. Long live Texas?
Iraq is to Vietnam as Johnson is to Bush.Both Presidents from Texas.
- bronceye
__________
LBJ was born in Stonewall,TX
Bush was born in New Haven,CT
Great stuff. Thanks.
When will these fools be gone forever? Black is white, white is black. Take a strength and turn it into a weakness. God, I hate these sh--heads.
TThe funny part was when Condi had to give aa "tutorial" to "W" regarding the history of tthe Middle-East. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall to see that lesson. Note to Americans. Next time, choose intelligence in your president and not a slap-on your back, beer drinking elitist, who has not had a minute of hard-ship in his life. The country will take decades to recover from this nasty, incompetent administration. Think, before you check off the next Pres. on your ballot.
We didn't elect him. The Supreme Court selected him. When all the votes were counted (and rest assured that many were stolen, especially in Florida) Gore had won.
Now that Karl (Bush’s brain) is missing we will have the joy of seeing more of these foot in the mouth moments from Bush.
To see Bush looking for a new brain:
http://www
Perhaps The Decider should become The Estimator. If 58,000+ ... 16 years ... more bomb tonnage dropped than in all of WWII ... and a mountain of American treasure weren't enough to secure Vietnamese democracy, perhaps Mr. AWOL can tell us what we're looking at here in terms of total expenditure for the Middle East democracy he prttles on about?
Bush talking about Vietnam is like Benedict Armold talking about patriotism.
Great post! Thanks.
Actually, Bush WASN'T THERE!
Nice sarcasm!
A great column.
Well over a year ago I made the comparison of Iraq to Vietnam to a republican blogger I know. He called me naive, ignorant, and pretty much dismissed me because I am a woman.
I wonder how he is feeling now that his beloved Bush has made the same comparison?
At least I was honest, and did not use Vietnam as an excuse to stay the course.
What kind of insanity are we being held hostage to? This government is not working. Doesn't want to work.
I agree, Bush is snorting something, because the alternative is incomprehensible.
For the life of me I can't figure out this idea we have to fight them over there to keep them from invading us here. What's stopping them? Do they need a map? It would seem to me that if they were ever going to invade us, they should do it now, while our entire exhausted,ground to dust,overextended military is in the Middle east. Maybe it's just me, but if I were going to invade a country, I would do it while its entire army and National Guard were out of the country. Which leads me to another question: who is protecting us with all of our military out of town ?
ah... I know this one... all of us who have guns ?? Heck I know whole neighborhoods that would never be taken by any number of ragheads, no way. Too many folks with personal arsenals.
Then there are the street gangs...
How come no major attacks? Maybe there really aren't as many boogie men out there as the government wants you to be afraid of! Your logic is dead on. America has no real defense against suicide bombers in the shopping mall. Our borders are easily crossed. The best we could do is call out the National Guard to help clean up the mess after it happened and they couldn't come because they would be in Iraq stealing oil.
They don't want to invade us. The whole terrorist thing started over 30 years ago and it's always been about tryng to kick foreigners out of what they believe is their land and their countries, and their culture. Their modus operandi is to strike symbols of our power, like our military, our Embassies and the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, the White House (probably flight 93 was going there).
In the past they've used hostages where they've kidnapped people either singly or in groups on commercial airlines or ships trying to get their fellow terrorists freed or demanding countries like Israel to leave the Middle East.
Terrorism didn't start on 9/11. It's just that Americans didn't give a shit because it was all happening in other places.
My response to everyone who repeats the line "fight them over there, so we don't have to fight them there" is : "I'd rather fight them here than have our sons and daughters die for war profiteering over there"! It always makes them stop and think, even if its only for a second. Try it sometime. Oh, and on Bush's Boat People analogy, I wanna know how they are going to get their boats out of the middle of the desert and to the sea.
"My response to everyone who repeats the line "fight them over there, so we don't have to fight them here" is : "I'd rather fight them here than have our sons and daughters die for war profiteering over there"! Oh, and on Bush's Boat People analogy, I wanna know how they are going to get their boats out of the middle of the desert and to the sea."
Well, the BIG FEAR is that the Muslims will "fight us here", and STEAL America out from under us... What OUR European ancestors did to our NATIVE American ancestors (& their DESCENDANTS!)
Certainly our Native Americans made a BIG MISTAKE allowing OUR boat people to come ashore, helping them to survive their first few years AND to gain a foothold on NATIVE American soil.
In any event... the moment The Decider marched into IRAQ to "fight them THERE", the INCENTIVES for the "Al Qaeda terrorists" to "follow US home" INCREASED. But FIRST, they have "followed THE IRAQIS home" to "fight US THERE". For the LIFE of me, I can't understand WHY the IRAQIS aren't welcoming & worshiping US for BRINGING "Al Qaeda terrorists" to THEIR country (so they don't come to OURS)?
If our 20%ers keep supporting our OCCUPATION IN IRAQ, WE just might get what OUR ancestors gave our NATIVE Americans. THEN we wanted to STEAL land...NOW we want to STEAL what lies beneath. And (as was THEN & is NOW), "God" help ANYONE who gets in OUR way!
We 80%ers MUST END this INSANITY..
Stay safe, healthy and happy,
Love, Loretta
Thursten,
I do agree with your display of "magic" as Bush creates his "doubt".
But I ask, who is he creating doubt with?
He has minions of "strawmen" that can stuff his imaginary opposition he can prop himself up to.
But again, Think of who he is addressing with these strawmen. You never see him take Q & A from real humans.
Even when Bush did a John Hopkins U. stump with Q & A. The question was put to GW of the Blackwater
Question;
Who were they accountable for in their behavior in Iraq?
GW reply:
To the Iraq government as a soveriegn Nation.
Question follow up:
How can they be accountable when Iraq's government is not functional and the country is unstable and under U.S. Occupation authority?
GW reply:
I don't know. I'll have to ask Rummy when I see him. You stumped me with that one. I, I just don't know and have't thought about it.
End of the line for that questioner
I enjoyed this post. I actually had to look up a few words reading this post and the comments. Thanks.
It's all too appalling, and I'm so sad that the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion etc. allow Bush to speak in front of them as if he were entitled to membership. I'm just a common-or-garden veteran myself, but I actually served in the Texas Air National Guard; and people who didn't meet their Guard obligation during the Vietnam War were summarily caught, transferred to the regular services, and sent overseas to Vietnam. Just miss two months and the feds picked you up. Unless, I guess, Daddy is a Congressman and (the comparison is disheartening) an authentic war hero. [G. H. W. Bush was the real deal.] Just for the record, I served in the Actives, the Guard, and the Reserves, from which latter I was activated for DESERT STORM. I'm still serving.
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