The Lesson of Iraq Is That Our Political Class Did Not Learn The Lesson of Vietnam

[Yavin4]

Our political class, both Dem and Republican, is still ensnared in the Military Industrial Complex's (MIC) stranglehold on American politics. The generation of politicians that got into politics largely because of the failure of Vietnam actually voted for and supported Iraq from the outset. Since the end of WWII, our politicians still define themselves by military spending and willingness to send in the troops at the drop of a hat. Since the MIC has reigned supreme on our political discourse, our nation's economy and educational systems have suffered mightily. We have lost our industrial base and our school system has not kept pace with the world's educational system.

[Deep13]

1. So how come the experts know less than the general population?

Most people were against the war before it happened and only accepted it when it became inevitable. How is it that the average American knows through gut instinct better than the experts who have the background to know better? Group think? Just plain greed?

[Yavin4]

6. Both Political Classes Have to Kowtow to the MIC

The worst thing to call an American politician is "soft". If any American politician does not favor giving a blank check to the MIC or send in troops into any conflict on the planet, then you are "soft". What's worse is that since Vietnam, the burden of fighting wars falls onto a small class of Americans which means that being "pro-military" involvement does not call for real sacrifice from all Americans.

[MannyGoldstein]

2. They Were Thinking of Themselves - Not of America & The World

There might have been a few in Congress that were so stupid as to actually believe that going into Iraq was the smart thing to do - mostly the "Rapture as an exit strategy" crowd.

But for the most part, voting for the AUMF was a purely political calculation, that utterly discounted:
1. the history of War
2. the advice of the most knowledgeable experts in the military
3. the history of Bush & company

I only hope that We the People have enough of a clue to reject these craven triangulators in 2008. While we rejected Republicans in the recent election, the craven Democratic triangulators still did quite nicely.

[tmooses]

3. Yes, it's more than a coincidence that Kissinger has daily

access to the White House. I don't see the MIC's hold on American politics ever changing. With all the billions of dollars wasted in the military and siphoned off to large corporations, politicians will never call attention to this while they are still running for office. They know they will labeled as anti US or pro "THEM". With the MSM as part of the MIC and an American public with a 20 second attention span there will not be a change IMO.

[HereSince1628]

4. The lesson that will be forgotten from both is you can't easily leave a war

unless you win it unconditionally. Once your in a war little else will justify the loss of lives, treasure, and encroachments on domestic civilian life by the "patriotic" paranoids.

This inevitably leads to a sense of quagmire and the dragging out of wars that should never have been fought to start with.

This lesson is always true and somehow always overlooked.

[Fozzledick]

5. Three lessons of war unlearned

Two from Vietnam:

1. In order for the invader to win, they must totally conquer and subjugate their victim.
In order for the defender to win, they only need to survive.

2. Mercenaries only fight when you pay them. If you stop paying them, they stop fighting.
(ie: ARVN, Poland)

And the one BIG lesson of the second world war they haven't learned:

3. WAR IS BAD!!

[sweetheart]

7. Another generation of 'flat earth-ers'

They not only learned the lesson, they are repeating the lesson to establish
fear and societal control, and to destroy all power of government to stop the
one-corporate world order. Now that the jobs are overseas even a general
strike by the world's richest nation can not stop their adgenda.

The new slavery is to ensure that there is no alternative, no place for a
free slave to go, so even if one escapes, they will have no choice but to
come back to the plantation if they want to eat... nobody will take them in,
as every single slave is a suspect and carries the genetic virus of the colony,
that in its very act of surviving, the slave will imprint the empire with every
act...

The fear in this post, is that economic terror, a slave on the run who would
rather die than return:
http://www.progressiveindependent.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=51533&mesg_id=51533

[KoKo]

8. kick.........

[BeFree]

9. And

All those that have supported the MIC are part of the problem and share the blame for Iraq.

The MIC needs to be drawn and quartered and fed to the homeless. No? If you don't agree, then you are the problem. Yes?