The Real Romney

Several stories recently have appeared describing Mitt Romney's efforts to study his father's campaign in 1968 and learn from his mistakes. George Romney, a successful Michigan Governor, and noted for his battles against the Big Three automakers to produce smaller, more gas-efficient automobiles, sought the Republican presidential nomination in that year. Widely regarded as the candidate from the more moderate, "Rockefeller" wing of the party, Romney appeared as a winning alternative to Barry Goldwater's failed campaign in 1964.

But Romney's effort dramatically collapsed when the media ridiculed his new-found position on the serious issue of the Vietnam War. Romney had strongly supported the war after a visit to South Vietnam in 1965 but in 1968, he declared the Vietnam venture a tragic mistake. When pressed to explain his inconsistent position, Romney replied, "Well, you know, when I came back from Vietnam [in 1965], I had just had the greatest brainwashing that anybody can get."

"Brainwashing" had powerful, sinister connotations in 1968, stirring fresh memories of the Korean War and accounts of Chinese and North Korean "brainwashing" of American POWs. The idea certainly had some basis in fact, but it was often adapted to any individual who criticized the American war effort, willingly or not. The word carried a powerful whiff of weakness.

One man's "brainwashing" is another man's "briefing." Romney, as had others, visited South Vietnam and was hosted by military and diplomatic officials who explained, justified, and sold the war to him. Finally, after the Tet Offensive in 1968, journalists themselves dismissed the "Five o'clock Follies," their cynical name for the military's daily press briefings for journalists in Saigon. After 1966, the US Information Agency, using Army colonels versed in public-relations, conducted these carefully choreographed performances. The spinners provided mimeographed copies of body-counts and colored charts depicting the American march toward victory. And such, of course, was our "news" from the front.

Romney had similar briefings during his trip, coupled with VIP meetings with military brass and diplomats. Was he "snowed," 'persuaded," "conned" - yes, even "brainwashed?" Of course, and he was not alone. And he was not alone in changing his mind. After all, the American public had been "brainwashed" by the likes of Johnson, McNamara, Rusk, and the military. And didn't Congress, leading political figures, and the public change as well?

Romney blamed the "generals and the diplomatic corps" for peddling bad and falsified information. "I have changed my mind," Romney said in his 1968 statement. He no longer believed it necessary to fight in South Vietnam to contain the Soviet Union and China. He rejected the then-popular "domino theory," apparently satisfied that the Reds would not storm the beaches of La Jolla.

Romney's change of sentiment should have been a badge of honor. Instead, our media and opinion-makers turned it into a folly, and Romney's candidacy was doomed. His friendly correspondence with former President Eisenhower noticeably cooled. Today, of course, he would have been accused of "flip-floping," that now-fashionable and wholly abused term. To change one's mind when confronted with the reality of events or policies is a cardinal sin. Alas! how would we have treated Abraham Lincoln who constantly varied his policies and strategies? Lincoln's explanation was simple - and, as always, wise: "events have controlled me," he said.

Maybe Romney's candidacy would have failed - for other political reasons. But on the two burning issues of the day, Vietnam and civil rights, Romney staked out bold public positions - and despite the public views of Mormon Church leaders.

Poor George Romney - his alleged "mistake" haunted his reputation for the rest of his life, and beyond. After a lifetime of success in business, politics, and government, his 1995 AP obituary headlined: "George Romney, Who Said Military Brainwashed Him on Vietnam, Dead at 88."

Imagine, a politician or a journalist spun by military and civilian officials? Do such "follies" beggar the imagination? Shocking! Can it be so today? Are we "brainwashed?" Think Iraq, WMDs, torture, Iran, etc., etc. What lesson exactly has Mitt Romney drawn from his father's experience? Can we expect him to offer such candor and honesty? Certainly, at this point Mitt seems only to never admitting being wrong.

George Romney's frank remarks ended his run for the presidency. The media at its herd-mentality worst and entrenched public officials dismissed his change of mind to disqualify him. And so, in that momentous year, we got Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew, and, of course, Henry Kissinger - and another 25,000 American combat deaths. We cannot begin to count the Vietnamese.

Comments

[Doofus]

If one Harvard MBA can be President, why not
another. And this one's a Harvard *lawyer* also!

If this is the only way we can get people who
have done time in Massachusetts into the White
House, then that's just the way it's got to be.

[larry278]

Mitt is in line to follow his father, Geo, as America's dynamic bore. Mitt's 'study' of his father empowered Mitt to become the USA's new dynamic bore. Yes, I know that he abused his dog by hauling the mutt 300 miles or so in an open cage on top of Mitt's car but that simply made Mitt a boring sadist. It won't get Mitt a ticket to a Vick promoted dog fight after Mr Vick completes his sentence. Mitt has simply given us another incident which establishes the banality of evil. Hannah the idea is priceless. Somebody put a ruby on her grave.

[rikyrah]

Flipping Mitt makes snakeoil salesmen look good. He doesn't have but one core principle: I want to be President. That's it. Nothing else. Nothing genuine about him in the least. He seemed to have learned little from his father about true moral character.

[hopeless277]

We are not blind to what BushCo is doing, we are just powerless to stop it. With the Democratic party leadership now firmly entrenched in the Republican camp, there is literally no one to oppose them. Torture will continue, occupation will continue, dismantling of our government will continue and we, the people, are POWERLESS. I feel a deep sense of betrayal by the Democratic leadership. I may not believe in god but I do believe in evil. Sixteen pieces of silver. How does that feel gangling in your pocket, Harry? Pretty good I bet.

[middleroad59]

Mitt is A USED CAR SALESMAN. Period. What a freaking nut! He belives that Jesus and Satan are brothers...Huckabee was telling the truth!!!! I invited Mormons into my home several years ago...these are missionaries, mind you...and they told me, "yes..Jesus and Satan are brothers, God has WIVES (plural), and we can all become GODS with our own planets, no less. I escorted the missionaries out! LOL Oh MG....whether you belive in Christ, or not...these folks are NUTS NUTS NUTS.

[robotfog]

I am sleepy

[desmirl]

The military 'brainwashed' Mitt's daddy. And Mitt marched with Martin Luther King... Right....

[ParacleteofKavorka]

The trouble with America is we only hear our side of the story. Bush & Co. keep telling us the reason the terrorists hate us is because of our freedoms, when they've said they hate us cause we have military bases in their lands.

Re: Vietnam. It would be interesting to hear the North Vietnamese point of view for once. How did they defeat the strongest military over many years? What kept them going? Nope. We don't want to hear it. I asked a young Vietnamese man several years ago about that. He had an uncle in the North during the war. They thought they were freedom fighters. I imagine that Al-Qaeda thinks something similar. Our pundits mock the terrorists belief in 72 virgins in the afterlife while our soldiers have a superior afterlife.

[Kungfublood]

I don't understand mit has nothing to worry about after all , how can the son of Martin Luther King possibly loose?

[BeyondKen]

"Brainwashing" might explain young Romney's 360 degree shifts on the issues of abortion, gay rights and immigration.

[vippy]

If I was Romney I would have listened to the people's wishes and ran on it. No religion, no
NRA, no abortion but current topics that matter,
regardless of party affiliation. He would have had a chance. Both, the DEMS and Repubs are fed up with the same rhetoric every election cycle.

[whimsicalpig]

Why is that we can understand what happened to the media, the congress and the public during
Viet Nam but we act so completely blind to what has been done to us by bush and his cohorts.

What George Romney did was honorable and fatal.

The lesson was learned and Reid and Pelosi are afraid to stand up for our principles because of it, and they know what the press will do to them if they cut off funding of the war, their only true power over the situation.

as long as the herd population can be manipulated by the squawking heads, the truth and our constitution are the casualties

[Zuni]

Romney likes to say that he is a mere shadow of his father. Indeed.

[mrfrazzlebottom]

I think we are caught in a maze of twistly little history passages all alike and can't get out.