I was around for the withdrawal , not the start.
Once again you missed the point. Our government acted as if war was essential. Time has proven that inaccurate. Thus we are trading with them. We visit their country as tourist.....
Originally Posted by WTF
Very few on here were "around for the start" ... since the "beginning" was immediately after the end of WWII. Ho Chi Minh was an "ally" of the "Allied" countries against Japan during WWII. When Kennedy was sworn there were roughly 8500 U.S. "advisors" in S.E. Asia ... and one carrier group running sorties on almost a daily basis when weather permitted. Kennedy was not informed until AFTER HE WAS SWORN.
No, actually I understand "the point." The Brits pulled out. The French entered, and the French asked our help with a low yield atomic bomb. LBJ was the swing "no" vote in the Senate. It bit him in the ass. He inherited the situation when Kennedy was shot. He ramped it up on an outright lie.... Gulf of Tonkin. There was no "essential war" .... one doesn't look at that history based on "the end" of the "cold war" after afterwards.
If I didn't know better I would think you are condoning the loss of 50,000 U.S. participants (military and civilian) to establish a "good" trading relationship with the Vietnamese .... I think I know better. Right?
Obaminable's decision making is now biting him in the ass, but he is kicking the can down the road to the next unlucky bastard who has to deal with it. That's how he operates. That's also how Hillarious operates. Except she's there for Hillarious. He's trying to write his history. She's in it for the money. Both are frauds.