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Bush Acknowledges Iraq 'Could Be' Like Vietnam »
Posted by: JPMBZ 3 years, 1 month agoIn an exclusive interview with George Stephanopoulos President Bush acknowledged that comparisons between the current situation in Iraq and the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam "could be right." Tet was widely seen as a turning point in the war. Watch "World News with Charles Gibson."
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Comments: 147
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catstevensComment has been removed: User banned.
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ekklesiawarrior
Oct. 19, 2006, 5:23 a.m.QUOTE BBC
Mr Bush told ABC News that it could be right to compare Iraq's situation to the 1968 Tet offensive, widely seen as a key turning point in the conflict.
But he denied that the rising number of Iraqi and US military deaths meant the Iraq campaign was failing.
October is on course to be one of the bloodiest months for US forces in Iraq.
"He could be right," Mr Bush said. "There's certainly a stepped up level of violence and we're heading into an election."
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vor
Oct. 19, 2006, 10:41 a.m.It is a bit incredible to hear GW pull any piece of history out as a reference. Maybe he has been reading again. A scary thought. Perhaps if he had an understanding of the history of the Middle East he would have dissuaded Cheney from his Iraq plans...
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crosshairs1
Oct. 19, 2006, 10:38 a.m.COULD be like Vietnam!?? It's almost a carbon copy from a tactical point of view. Like Bush, Congress gave Johnson a free pass to engage. Then, due to eroding support at home, Johnson ordered a containmemt and advisory role strategy to minimize casualties and reduce public outrage. Bush has just done the same. It's unbelievable how these idiots didn't learn anything from Vietnam and are repeating those very same strategical decisions! God bless and God help our troops.
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Eryk
Oct. 19, 2006, 10:40 a.m.They don't seem to understand. Tony Snow says "The pictures of death and dismemberment on the evening news have had a devastating effect on public support for the president's Iraq policy."
It is not the pictures, which would place the blame on the photographers, it is the fact that people are dying by the thousands with no end in sight that has eroded support for the policy, especially in light of the fact that the presumed purpose of the war has been shown to be erroneous.
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marufio
Oct. 19, 2006, 10:43 a.m.Bush comparing Iraq to Vietnam, so he knows how worse its going to get. Vietnam was a mistake so then he is admitting Iraq a mistake. What about if the Democrats get control of Congress in November?
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crosshairs1
Oct. 19, 2006, 10:45 a.m."What about if the Democrats get control of Congress in November?"
What about it?
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wayjer
Oct. 19, 2006, 10:56 a.m.This article does not match the description at all! I don't see either of the George's here. This is an article about the press secretary making a statement that he may have mistaken is probably going to retract.
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nakedtruth
Oct. 19, 2006, 10:59 a.m.Everything that those of us who were against the Iraq war were saying BEFORE it started has turned out to be true. There WERE NO WMD stockpiles. There WAS NO connection between Saddam and Al Qaeda. The Iraqis HAVE NOT embraces us as "liberators". Iraq HAS descended into sectarian civil war. People strongly allied with our "enemies" in Iran HAVE taken over the government. The war HAS been enormously expensive in terms of lives and money. The war HAS been a distraction from our war on terrorism. Because of the diversion of troops to Iraq the Taliban HAVE come back in Afghanistan. America is LESS safe due to this STUPID STUPID war!
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vor
Oct. 19, 2006, 11:25 a.m."Everything that those of us who were against the Iraq war were saying BEFORE it started has turned out to be true."
'
Yet somehow we are the ones who are unpatriotic, morally confused, appeasers of the enemy. Nothing makes a lot of sense in this world under the present leadership. Right is wrong, war is peace, violence is moral...and if George W. told these people that for just for today only, black is white, they would believe him.
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Donnaich
Oct. 19, 2006, 11:01 a.m.I've listened to *how many* right wing commentators deride the war opponents characterizing Iraq with Vietnam, and now, the Administration is doing it. C'mon, Rush, Savage... lets hear it now.
Of course it's a Vietnam scenario. Saddam Hussein was reportedly very much into Vietnam. Do you think maybe that was why the hardcore Iraqi units melted away? Perhaps they knew they could not take us on force to force (Desert Storm showed them that), but perhaps Vietnam could be replayed? I've wondered about that.
What I don't want to see is Donald Rumsfeld in a few years coming out like McNamara did recently in "The Fog of War" and say it was a mistake. Its too late when you've got all of those good soldiers dead. Only, I really don't expect Rumsfeld or Cheney could bring themselves to do that. But seeing this, there might be hope for Bush. MIGHT.
I think those who have not seen combat should refrain from sending people into it. War cannot be taken lightly.
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LuvMerlyn4Ever
Oct. 19, 2006, 2:19 p.m."I've listened to *how many* right wing commentators"
Too be more accurate right wing propagandist.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda
Propaganda is a specific type of message presentation directly aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of people, rather than impartially providing information. An appeal to one's emotions is, perhaps, the more obvious propaganda method, but there are varied other more subtle and insidious forms. On the other hand, a most common characteristic of propaganda is volume (in the sense of a large amount). Individually propaganda functions as self-deception. Culturally it works within religions, politics, and economic entities like those which both favor and oppose globalization. Commercially it works within the (mass)market in the free market societies.
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Renep
Oct. 19, 2006, 11:17 a.m.Bush is waiting for the Iraki Tet Offensive. It will then give him a good reason to "cut and run". He will then send helicopters that will land on top of the various Sadam's palaces to pick up the remaining american soldiers. Then he will declare victory in Iraq. Does this scenario sound familiar to you?
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Sandmn
Oct. 19, 2006, 11:14 a.m.It is my opinion, and probably mine alone, that GW has always intended to split Iraq into 3rds and actually promote civil warring in this region while building military bases to protect an intrusive pipeline for oil transport. But Iran is in the way, so he will need to also invade Iran to accomplish this. Has anyone noticed that he has again mandated the forced inoculations of military personnel with an experimental anthrax vaccine? All military personnel. For our soldiers sake, please go to this:
http://www.brasscheck.com/videos/iraq/iraqwar14.html
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1rooster
Oct. 19, 2006, 11:13 a.m.I remember Saddam Hussein distinctly say before we invaded that this would be our next Viet Nam. He also said that this would be our childen's graveyard. How prophetic...
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donald51
Oct. 19, 2006, 11:45 a.m.2 years agao Bush and his cabinet were all saying we've "turned the corner" in Iraq. Now, just before the November election he's trying to infer that the rise in violence is just a bump on the road, like Tet - it will calm down afterward. Our President was trying to lose this war from the start without a plan for reconstruction, insufficient force to block off the borders, secure the weapons dumps. or protect the people from lawlessness. Then add his "bring it on" comments and the fact that he wanted all insurgents treated like terrorists, versus winning the hearts and minds necessary in a counter-insurgency, lost the initial opportunity of success. Add Bremer's sending 2 million former Iraqi military and bureacrats to the insurgent roles and its amazing our fine soldiers haven't lost more fine comrades.
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MntnWllm
Oct. 19, 2006, 12:06 p.m.I wish I could agree that there was comparative thought and knowlege on display here, but, our President did not make the comparison to Tet: he was asked if he agreed with Tom Friedman that the current Iraq situation was like the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. Mr Bush is wise enough to at least agree that Friedman might be right.....he usually IS right?
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Taganan
Oct. 19, 2006, 12:08 p.m.The comment meant that the insurgents are trying the same tactics as were used in VietNam. Go all out just before an election to shock the American voters, so they will vote for the party that will allow terrorism to win. The terrorists want the Dems to win because the Dems will allow the terrorists to win.
We must stand firm and achieve the goal, a free, democratic and peaceful Iraq. Vote for anyone who will stand firm.
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remleomike
Oct. 19, 2006, 12:13 p.m.One simple question-One simple answer: "He could be right" in reference to another article,in an interview that covered many different aspects.
And a headline that mis-leads the viewer on the focus of the story.
Any comments on the rest of the interview?
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jaxguy
Oct. 19, 2006, 12:25 p.m.Here is a list of 12 American cities with a populaton of just under or just over 600,000. Think of them disappearing -- and imagine the U.S. one-tenth its current size. Then you've got the possible toll in Iraq:
Austin
Baltimore
Denver
Boston
Seattle
Milwaukee
Memphis
Washington, D.C.
Ft. Worth
Portland
Las Vegas
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003251404
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DARKTOWER
Oct. 19, 2006, 12:29 p.m.Bush "speak" .."It only isn't Vietnam if we say it isn't.." well now the truth finally slips out.
wasn't there a time in the very recent past when Bush/Coni were saying that the insursency was in it's final throws and there were just a few hard core insurgents were left and they would wither on the vine..?
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cleare
Oct. 19, 2006, 12:30 p.m.To anyone who lived through the Vietnam debacle, the comparison is obvious. The bogus circumstances bringing us into both wars. The domino effect motivations. Guerrilla warfare against insurgents. On and on ad nauseum.
Only difference I see is the terrain.
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DARKTOWER
Oct. 19, 2006, 12:43 p.m.I agree totally. I lived throught it and saw the casulities counts day after day...
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samsara15
Oct. 19, 2006, 12:45 p.m.If we could get Bush to begin dealing with reality, for a change, perhaps his critics would get together with his supporters to decide exactly what we are accomplishing, if anything, in Iraq, so we can extricate oursslves from this quicksand ASAP and leave ourselves free to deal with other emerging problems, such as NK and Iran. Our armed forces are needed in other places.
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toph1973
Oct. 19, 2006, 1 p.m.It's a sad situation in Vietraq right now. The whole thing was bungled from the beginning. This war was never about WMD's, Terrorism, Freedom for Iraqis. The only thing this war is about was the fact that Bush, Sr. was embarrassed by the gulf war in the early 90's. This time the conflict is nothing more than vengence for the shame of the Bush Family.
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DoerNotASayer
Oct. 19, 2006, 1:07 p.m.No righties touching this subject? What a surprise. I guess they are all still busy touching themselves over the Rush-Cheney love fest and Bush's phony economy numbers.
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theido
Oct. 19, 2006, 1:44 p.m.Its a good thing we got an expert economist writing in these forums. Thank you for your expertise. You did fail to mention all the jobs lost recently because of the bad economy. Everybody I know, has lost everything and have moved into the streets. What a horrible time to be barely surviving in america. All the money going to the filthy rich, big business, big oil people.
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time4change
Oct. 19, 2006, 1:10 p.m.Read the paragraph regarding 'whether the elections are a referendum on Iraq'....Bush's response is doublespeak....just like all the idiot statements he makes....what an embarassing idiot !! We don't belong in Iraq and we never did......our men and women are dying for NOTHING !! And at the cost of 2 BILLION a week....if we used the billions spent to be free from oil, our country would be much safer, smarter and independent of what happens in the middle east.
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GTRAN
Oct. 19, 2006, 1:16 p.m.It took that long for Bush to admit this...what a joke!! I guess if he did not avoid going to Vietnam 30's years ago, he would not make this mistake!!!
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toph1973
Oct. 19, 2006, 1:26 p.m.You make a very valid point. Maked me wonder if he actually went to war and saw what it was like. We will never know since daddy got him out of having to go. Instead of getting shot up by the VC, he was waterskiing in Texas thanks to daddy oilbucks.
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