Thread: An Enormous Crime
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Old 06-26-2007, 17:26   #34
The Reaper
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roguish Lawyer
I intend to read more on my flight home this evening, but let me try to add to my initial comments while my wireless is working . . .

1. The book is proceeding chronologically and I am up to the Carter administration. The thought that kept going through my head was, "wait, this was THIRTY YEARS AGO"! I am really disturbed that we didn't do anything then, and I am not at all looking forward to reading what went on later. And how many of these guys are still alive and what condition are they in?
Actually, more like 40 years ago.

I believe that all are dead now, either from injury, disease, age, or just the fact that at some point, they became of no remaining value to the NV. They are a liability now, and likely became that after we refused to negotiate for their release.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roguish Lawyer
2. I now completely despise Kissinger. Not that I was a huge fan before, but what an idiot!
Ah, the master of realpolitik! Not an idiot, just not a man to be counted on.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roguish Lawyer
3. How is it that we make hostage deals with the Iranians (twice!) but not the Vietnamese?
Different times, different circumstances.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roguish Lawyer
4. If we won't make hostage deals, how can we just leave those guys there?
Because as a nation, we lacked the balls to do the right thing when it mattered.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roguish Lawyer
5. I am curious what others believe we should do in light of this information now, and what we should have done earlier.
First, from the Japanese and French experiences in IndoChina, we should have expected that they would retain additional numbers of POW as bargaining chips.

Then should have required their release as a condition of our exit and bombed Hanoi and the NV infrastructure mercilessly till they complied with full accountability.

Finally, we should have supported the South in 1975 with air strikes and material aid.

Instead, when the going got tough, we cut and ran, abandoning our soldiers and our allies, allowing them to be shamefully crushed, and laying the groundwork for our global actions for the next 30 years plus.

Sound familiar?

What do you think our premature exit from Iraq will cost us (our children, actually) in the long run?

TR
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