Comments on: Cronkite and Vietnam: Part I http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/ Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:07:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Henry David http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-262953 Henry David Sun, 28 Aug 2011 20:21:20 +0000 http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-262953 America went off the rails following the Kennedy Assassination. Reagan brought things back for a while but the hopeful positive days when I was growing up have gone forever. Oh Well America went off the rails following the Kennedy Assassination. Reagan brought things back for a while but the hopeful positive days when I was growing up have gone forever. Oh Well

]]> By: Augean Stables » Walter Cronkite: Avuncular Advocacy Journalist and the Origins of the MSNM’s Augean Stables http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117346 Augean Stables » Walter Cronkite: Avuncular Advocacy Journalist and the Origins of the MSNM’s Augean Stables Tue, 21 Jul 2009 05:44:28 +0000 http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117346 [...] put up a couple of years ago, and has now updated to reflect Cronkite’s passing. Below some choice passages: Cronkite earned his trust the hard way: by reporting the unvarnished news. In this 2002 radio [...] [...] put up a couple of years ago, and has now updated to reflect Cronkite’s passing. Below some choice passages: Cronkite earned his trust the hard way: by reporting the unvarnished news. In this 2002 radio [...]

]]> By: neo-neocon http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117139 neo-neocon Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:34:47 +0000 http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117139 ad: Did you read <a href="http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117099" rel="nofollow">what I wrote you in the comments section</a>? And did you also pay attention to the Part II's points about what Cronkite said about Tet <i>even if it turned out</i> that we learned in the next few months that Tet had represented the Communists' last gasp? (<a href="http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/19/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-ii/" rel="nofollow">see Part II</a> for a full explanation). Once again, I will state that Conkrite showed a lack of imagination and knowledge of military affairs. To declare we could not win, even if we changed strategy and/or tactics, was premature. It was just the same as the people (Reid, Obama, et. al) who declared the surge <i>could not succeed</i>, and that <i>we had already lost</i> the Iraq War, prior to the implementation of the surge. ad: Did you read what I wrote you in the comments section? And did you also pay attention to the Part II’s points about what Cronkite said about Tet even if it turned out that we learned in the next few months that Tet had represented the Communists’ last gasp? (see Part II for a full explanation).

Once again, I will state that Conkrite showed a lack of imagination and knowledge of military affairs. To declare we could not win, even if we changed strategy and/or tactics, was premature. It was just the same as the people (Reid, Obama, et. al) who declared the surge could not succeed, and that we had already lost the Iraq War, prior to the implementation of the surge.

]]> By: ad http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117137 ad Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:20:00 +0000 http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117137 But the war was NOT on its way to being won when Cronkite made his famous speech a few months before the change of strategy and tactics made by General Abrams. And the Army could not plausibly claim to have repudiated Westmorelands methods after he left because it had made him its chief of staff. So why would anyone in Washington believe that things had changed? The only people who might have known had already lost their credibility. But the war was NOT on its way to being won when Cronkite made his famous speech a few months before the change of strategy and tactics made by General Abrams.

And the Army could not plausibly claim to have repudiated Westmorelands methods after he left because it had made him its chief of staff.

So why would anyone in Washington believe that things had changed? The only people who might have known had already lost their credibility.

]]> By: neo-neocon http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117099 neo-neocon Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:57:13 +0000 http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117099 ad: To judge from Sorley (whose book I have read) Cronkite's conclusions were unreasonable. Sorley's book about Vietnam is dedicated to showing that the war was quite "winnable" and in fact was on its way to being won with the change of strategy and tactics represented under Creighton Abrams. Abrams became head of the operations in June of 1968, just a few months after Cronkite made his famous speech. Therefore, Cronkite's speech would be very analogous to those people who spoke out in opposition to the surge because they felt the Iraq War was lost already, when it was not (Harry Reid ad Barack Obama come to mind). Furthermore, Cronkite was completely wrong about Tet, which was the proximate cause of his broadcast. ad: To judge from Sorley (whose book I have read) Cronkite’s conclusions were unreasonable. Sorley’s book about Vietnam is dedicated to showing that the war was quite “winnable” and in fact was on its way to being won with the change of strategy and tactics represented under Creighton Abrams. Abrams became head of the operations in June of 1968, just a few months after Cronkite made his famous speech. Therefore, Cronkite’s speech would be very analogous to those people who spoke out in opposition to the surge because they felt the Iraq War was lost already, when it was not (Harry Reid ad Barack Obama come to mind).

Furthermore, Cronkite was completely wrong about Tet, which was the proximate cause of his broadcast.

]]> By: ad http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117089 ad Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:06:27 +0000 http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117089 To judge from Sorley and Nagl, Cronkite's summary was not unreasonable. And if the pentagon had been more trustworthy before 1968, it might have been more trusted afterwards. To judge from Sorley and Nagl, Cronkite’s summary was not unreasonable.

And if the pentagon had been more trustworthy before 1968, it might have been more trusted afterwards.

]]> By: grackle http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117087 grackle Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:44:14 +0000 http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117087 <i>I apologize for the double post! didn’t think the top one, with link, had gone through.</i> Done it myself, many times. It was a good comment. I apologize for the double post! didn’t think the top one, with link, had gone through.

Done it myself, many times. It was a good comment.

]]> By: armchair pessimist http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117083 armchair pessimist Sun, 19 Jul 2009 14:47:24 +0000 http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117083 "Uncle to the Killing Fields" Bravo! “Uncle to the Killing Fields” Bravo!

]]> By: Beverly http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117056 Beverly Sun, 19 Jul 2009 04:55:55 +0000 http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117056 I apologize for the double post! didn't think the top one, with link, had gone through. I apologize for the double post! didn’t think the top one, with link, had gone through.

]]> By: Beverly http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117055 Beverly Sun, 19 Jul 2009 04:54:42 +0000 http://neoneocon.com/2009/07/18/cronkite-and-vietnam-part-i/#comment-117055 The previous interview was from the Wall Street Journal in 1995. The previous interview was from the Wall Street Journal in 1995.

]]>