Bush accused of twisting Asia history to defend terror war

[jpgray]

Source: Agence France-Presse

WASHINGTON -- Experts say that US President George W. Bush may be misrepresenting history when he drew a parallel between the bloody wars Americans fought in East Asia to the current US "war on terror" to back his case for maintaining US troops in Iraq.

The US leader on Wednesday likened the "terrorists" who wage war in Iraq to the communist forces in Korea and Vietnam and imperial Japanese army, and warned that a hasty Iraq withdrawal would trigger a bloodbath like the one in Southeast Asia after the US defeat and retreat from Vietnam.

...

"My understanding of the history of the Vietnam war and the lessons of that differs rather dramatically from Mr. Bush's," Robert Hathaway, an Asian expert at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, told Agence France-Presse.

Hathaway said that despite the eight-year US military involvement and its heavy casualties in Vietnam, Washington was still unable to create popular support in the south for a government that was widely considered to be corrupt and unpopular.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view_article.php?article_id=84235

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This is a perfect example of how replete with error these historical analogies can be. The vast differences between the situations are ignored in order to highlight the pleasant, superficial similarities.

[Up2Late]

1. George W. Bush "...twisting Asia history...?"

Oh, he would never do that! :sarcasm:

That would be "History Revisionism," something he will be the first to tell you that only the people who disagree with him do. :banghead::sarcasm:

[CottonBear]

2. The North Vietnamese government imposed and maintained order.

The current Iraqi government cannot.

[Doctor_J]

3. With all due respect for *,

I would bet my house he didn't understand a word of what he said. he knows even less about Viet Nam than he does about Iraq. he managed to memorize or read a few sentences comparing the two, but if some uppity journalist were to ask him to compare and contrast the two situations, he'd be a befuddled as when he was asked what Iraq "sovregnty" meant. He's just as ignorant as he is mean and corrupt.

[daleo]

7. Word is, he was drunk during the Viet Nam war

He wasn't there, and he wasn't even sober. Naturally his recall will be less than perfect.

[Up2Late]

10. He didn't even "managed to memorize" what he read, if you want to hear just a short clip...

...click on this link: <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=13896401>

It takes you to part of today's "Talk of the Nation" at NPR. It's just embarrassing how stupid our so-called "president" is.

[arewenotdemo]

4. Americans don't do history.

What's the point when Jeezus is gonna roll out of the clouds and kick major ass in 50 or so years?

[w8liftinglady]

5. OMG-you should see the blog comments on CNN.com re:this..49:1 against

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/08/22/bush.iraq.speech/index.html

[wreckhead]

17. "secretarial violence"

We are now doing policing works people, there is more secretarial violence there than terrorist violence.

Luke on CNN forums I salute you for introducing me to this new freeperism! :D

[rodeodance]

6. maybe Bush should pass a History test before he spouts off

[NYC]

8. Didn't he supposedly major in History at Yale?

?

[Demeter]

9. Not So's You'd Notice!

[pschoeb]

12. Yes he did, too funny huh

nt

[Quantess]

11. Always look to Bush

To tell the truth.

Bush: Iraq is like Viet Nam.
Viet Nam = Quagmire
Iraq = Quagmire

If you listen closely enough, Bush will usually tell you the truth.

[Administrator1]

13. Looking Back

Vietnam or not Vietnam? That is the question. Recently President Bush drew some analogies between the current war in Iraq and the Vietnam War. Both sides of this issue are being debated.

Too often, we forget to let history guide our path. A knowledge of that which preceded us can be vital toward avoiding future pitfalls.

This, then, is my contribution to the debate. Let's look back a while.

http://www.massachusettsobserver.com/Vietnam_or_Iraq.htm

If you have trouble viewing, download one of the plugins linked on the page.

[spindoctor]

14. MAY BE misrepresenting? It takes an expert to draw that conclusion?

What's worse is that we have been misrepresented by this man for 7 years now.

[Supersedeas]

15. the only way to rationalize the action of these filthy fascists is revisionism

[tabasco]

16. GW Bush isn't twisting anything.

GW Bush stands up there and reads what his masters tell him to read. Despite what he said, he is not the "decider." He is an ignorant, stupid stuffed-shirt tool of the super-rich. What the super-rich republicans really love is a good actor. Somebody who can stand up there and read their lines and convince people that he really cares about their problems. Like the grandfather image portrayed by Ronald Reagan, another know-nothing stuffed-shirt. No wonder Fred Thompson is attractive to them. The robber barons would love to get another professional actor as their spokesman/President. They screwed up the last time putting in a guy who can barely read.

[Javaman]

18. If he* instead compared Iraq with the French occupation of Algeria

I think it would have been far more accurate.