Ninerfan1 Wrote:Quote:what was the objective of the vietnam war??
To prevent communism from spreading into South Vietnam.
Quote:what was the plan of action to accomplish that objective??
Initially it was to help the French maintain the south as a democratic government. However the French eventually retreated (no shock there) and the US pledged to aid the South militarily to keep it from falling under the communist North that was receiving aid from now Communist China.
Quote:for what reasons was it deemed a necessary means to this country??
Communism was spreading and had been since the end of WW II. China became a communist nation in 1949. It was in American interests to keep South Vietnam a from communist rule.
right, right, and right....sort of.
that was definitely the case in the beginning, but to say that we strayed away from that and lost our focus would be a more than fair way of putting it.
there was really no strategic plan on how to win it. it was even referred to as a war of containment. at the time kerry began protesting it, it was after he had served over there. it was also 1971. by that time walter cronkite was against the war and i don't think anyone would consider him unimformed or anti-american. he, like many, felt it had spun WAAAY out of control and had such a poor plan of action and a poorly stated objective that people had forgotten what it was all about in the first place.
i don't think it is fair to criticize kerry for protesting the war. as it turns out, the majority of people agreed that it was not worth it and we pulled out. it was important to stop the spread of communism and protect america, but we weren't really doing it by fighting in vietnam. after all, this country prides itself on its checks and balances. questioning and critiquing the actions OUR government (and it is our government) is not only not unamerican, it is our responsibility as americans to do so. without the freedom to do this, we mind as well be blind.
now, what no one seems to be talking about, and what i am personally more interested in, is what kerry has been doing in the 30+ years between vietnam and today. i think his career as a senator would carry much more relevance than people are giving it, and THAT is what has bothered me about his campaign so far.
what issues did he support as a senator??
what issues did he argue against as a senator??
i know he was in vietnam. christ, unless you've been living on mars, you know that by now. i get it. WHAT ELSE DID HE DO AFTER BECOMING A POLITICAN??
i'm still undecided. if i vote for kerry, it won't be because of vietnam. he has gotten up and mentioned a lot of the issues our country is facing. they are legitimate issues, but hell, i could have gotten up there and mentioned them. that doesn't mean i should be president. what i'd really like to see is he or bush (preferably both) present us with a plan of action and a list of tangible goals. my biggest fear is that NEITHER candidate will do that.
i have my greviences with bush as well, but i'll wait until after his convention. perhaps he will address some of the issues there, but i doubt it.
sorry for rambling, but this is a political thread