Thursday, April 08, 2004

BUSH'S VIETNAM
In a speech at the Brookings Institution last Tuesday, Senator Teddy Kennedy said, among other things, that "Iraq is George Bush's Vietnam."

I think this was an extremely counter-productive thing for Kennedy to say. There may be similarities between Vietnam and Iraq, though right now I think the differences are more significant. More importantly, in American politics there is a very heavy subtext to any Vietnam reference, as that war and the divisions it created have come to stand for the broader cultural upheaval of the 1960s and early 70s. By making such a comparison, Kennedy is almost forcing people to take sides along that cultural divide, to see the debate over Iraq in those terms, rather than in current terms.

Also, comparing Iraq to Vietnam implies that the U.S. should pull out immediately, which would be a disaster. This is something even most of those who opposed the invasion recognize.

UPDATE: Al Jazeera reports that a U.S. Marine commander compared the fighting in Fallujah to Vietnam.

posted by Matt Duss @ 12:25 PM

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