The first question of course is 'which cut out'
did the American Government Miss?
When the French Shelled Haiphong in the fall of '46
should the Americans have done to the French as they
would do to the Dutch and Cut off All Military Aid?
When the French lost 6000 troops retreating down
Colonial Route 4, should the american's supported
a policy of Peace Settlement?
When the French Gave up at Dien Bien Phu, and turned
down the American Offer of Tactical Nuclear Weapons
should the American Government have cut their losses?
As Professor Smant and others will point out, by the
time that Nixon came along, none of the Really Cool
Conservatives bought into the Monolithic Godless Communist
Conspiracy, so popular under other regimes, but it would
still take the americans some time to Finese the Taiwan Question
as we moved the PRC into the U.N. Seat. How Unpleasant that
it would take the Vulcan's to make it a Maxim,
Only Nixon Could Go To China.
I would Recommend that you read 'Bright and Shining Lie'
and pause a while to notice how long the american's had
been operational in vietnam, long BEFORE the Gulf of Tonkien
Resolution was passed, and from there wonder why it is that
we fell Backwards into the Gulf of Tonkien Resolution. I would
also recommend that you get your Hands on "Bombing To Win" by
Dr. Pape, and do a little looking at the Idea of Strategic Bombing
as the 'war winning' model, and how this Conceptual Travesty sold
the american's down the river, as they learned the hard way that
Co-ercive Bombing does not Win Wars. I would also recommend "crosswinds"
by Dr. Tilford as being specifically vietnam. But Pape will provide the
testable thesis model of history and does a lovely job developing the
whole data set, and resolving the anomalies.
In part, what you will find that you will have to resolve, is how to
start out the 'american war' in vietnam, which begins at least when the French
Bail Out, in '54 with Lansdale's insertion of 'stay behind' forces, on
through to JFK's "Bear Any Burden" and the Fiasco of the Bay Of Pigs, to
provide the Core Rhetoric that so Many Americans would be unable to escape,
and the Dead Americans and POW/MIA's would merely add 'spent costs' that
the society was not ready to simply 'write down' as 'wasted effort'. The
Metaphour of a Dysfunctional Family comes screaming out at this point, and
your question might as well be why Families stay together in abusive
relationships, long after any real chance has come and gone.
As Dr. Fertal has noted in other places, we would start out with the
Manifest Destiny Doctrine Blossoming in the Louisiana Purchase, which
fuel's the fires that bring us the Mexican-American War, and the Years
of the Indian War, and we burst out with the Spanish-American Wars, and
the lesser mentioned Guerrilla Supression Wars in the PI, which becomes
Father to the American Adoption of the M1911A1 .45 ACP handgun, and our
Glorious and Continual Onward Progression Upwards towards Global Domination
as we Rescue European Civilization, not once, but Twice in this Century, so
clearly our Technological Edge and Cultural Advantages Must Clearly Mean
that we are the Elect of God, the New Jerusalem, The Light Upon The Hill!!!!
>From such we could simply fold our tents and sulk back to the USA
having been beaten by some NonRatedBackWaterThirdWorldHackMilitary?????
As you will note from today's Headlines, it does not take a Rocket
Scientist to note that to cut the Deficiet, one must either raise
taxes, or cut expenses..... But what do we hear in this Campaign Season????
In '64 we had the choice of the Peace Candidate LBJ or that WACKO
Goldwater. In '68 you could have supported the WarMonger LBJ's hand
picked successor, or gone with the Peace Candidate Nixon, who had a
Secret Plan to get us Out of Vietnam.......
Getting out of Quagmires is not as easy as it might seem.....
ciao
drieux