Rick, I don’t think we’re that far apart in what we’re saying. It’s simply that I don’t find any lies, and few exaggerations, in Kerry’s ’71 statements…. while finding multiple, endless lies in the stuff that poured out of Fox News and the Swiftees for “Truth” during Campaign 2004.
In short, I think we have a hard time facing up to what happened in Vietnam not because of the occasional exaggerations from the Kerry camp, but because of the extreme white-washing from the Swiftee side of the argument.
However, that being said, Kerry and the anti-war movement (as suggested above by Rebbe) just never came to grips with the systematic atrocities of the communists in Vietnam, from keeping hamlets in line with systematic assassinations to massacres like those that took place at Hue.
Of course, the ARVN were as bad as the VC in terms of abusing the populace…. and the ROKs (our allies from South Korea) were probably the worst of all.
In comparison to the VC, ARVN, and ROKs, the American troops fought a relatively clean war. Still, it was the New Zealanders and Australians in Vietnam, not the Americans, who were probably the most disciplined, atrocity-free troops of the war.
Anyway, as I say, I don’t think we’re that far apart in our thinking. It’s just that you’re saying the glass is half full, and I’m saying it’s half empty.
Best Wishes,
Keith
