freeSpeech: Bob Schieffer

(CBS)  From the beginning, there were those who saw Iraq as another Vietnam. I wasn't one of them because I saw Vietnam up close.

During the Cold War, we chose Vietnam as the place to draw a line and tell the Communists once and for all they could not cross it. Whatever Iraq is, it was never that.

But I am beginning to see parallels in the remarkably similar way the government then and the government now reports war news. During Vietnam, the government was on a never-ending search for good news. Victory was always just around the corner. Over and over, there were sightings of that light at the end of the tunnel.

In 1964, a senator returned from the war zone and declared, "we are winning and everybody knows it but Americans." Sound familiar?

Mostly, the government just overwhelmed us with statistics to prove that we were winning - body counts, enemy bunkers destroyed. Some were right, some wrong, but all proved irrelevant.

I was reminded of that when the American command in Iraq released statistics showing the number of Iraqi civilians who had died violently in Baghdad had been reduced by half between July and August, but when questioned about it, conceded the numbers did not include those killed by bombs and rockets.

Iraq and Vietnam. Two different wars, but when the government spin machine starts spinning, it is hard to tell the difference.

Sadly, there is no difference on one point: We went to Vietnam with good intentions and a bad plan. We may have managed to do the same thing in Iraq.


Bob Schieffer is broadcast journalism's most experienced Washington reporter. He is CBS News' Chief Washington Correspondent and also serves as anchor and moderator of Face The Nation, CBS News' Sunday public affairs broadcast.

Schieffer served as interim anchor of The CBS Evening News from March 10, 2005 until Aug. 31, 2006. He will be a regular contributor to The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.

[gentlearts]

All I know is, as the mother of two soldiers, I don't want my sons to be harmed for the sake of a bunch of Iraqis who don't even appreciate it, or want us there. If the law abiding, decent Muslims are not even willing to stand up for themselves and their values, why should we?

It is far too soon to know whether or not this war will serve the long term good of our country. History has shown how botched the Viet Nam war was because Pres. Johnson was receiving sugar coated info from his advisors and that he unwisely tried to micromanage the military.

So, accidentally, the "maggot infested" protesters of the 60's were right, but for the wrong reasons. Today's liberal media is the current "maggot infested" protester. They don't know if the war is necessary or not, they just hate Presidant Bush and want him to be wrong.

[nynative1340]

Think about it. We haven't won a major war since WWII. The cost of that war in human life alone was staggering.

The Korean 'conflict' ended in a stalemate after losing over 50,000 American lives. We tucked our tails in shame and RAN from Vietnam after losing over 50,000 Americans there.

Considering the weapons that have been provided our troops in Iraq, it's a miracle we haven't lost more Americans lives there.

Unfortunately our misguided leaders have gotten us in a terrible situation in Iraq and we can't just up and leave, and NO ONE has a plan to win nor a plan to withdraw.

A few more inflamatory remarks from the Pope, or Chavez, or that other idiot from Iran might just stoke the fire and create a real ugly situation. We may find ourselves in a situation where we will be forced to tuck our tails and run.

Thanks to our leaders who don't understand foreign policy, we Americans are not very well liked or respected in the world today. In fact, we are downright hated in most non-Christian countries.

Win or lose, my children and grandchildren will be paying for this war for a very long time.

There's no free lunch...

[lonnie461]

Katie C. promised that this "new idea",liberals love those, would be "people from outside established news etc." to speak. Now we know how much we can trust her word for the future. That lasted until Bob S. and Eugene R. got "itchy", or whatever it is called, and just had to have a platform. Of course, voicing his own biased opinions didn't bother Bob S. when he was anchor, why should honesty bother him now. CBS in general has lost any sense of decency, if they ever had any at all.

[lonnie461]

Firstly, Bob Schieffer probably doesn't remember, or care (why let facts get in the way), that in 1964 the outside National forces of North Vietnam and China had not yet been allowed by Lyndon Johnson to INVADE South Vietnam. We were winning the contest against the Viet Cong to the point that the North realized they must INVADE to preserve communism. Lyndon's reaction to that was simply panic. Only when the liberal biased press (such as Dan Rather) began to lie to the American people on a nightly basis to call several events "defeat" right up til the Tet in 1968. That should have been the beginning of the end for the NVA except for the lies of those like Ramsey Clark, Jane Fonda, John Kerry, and congregated members of the "press". Of course, he would like to forget the 1.5 MILLION Vietnamese and Cabmodians slaughtered by the North as soon as we gave up and ran. Our nightly "press" refused to give those facts out since it shows the cowardice and bias. Christians in South Vietnam(past) are to this day persecuted by the North with no reporting by people like Bob Schieffer who think that is just fine. The Christians deserve it, right???

[truth2008]

davros69, that is EXACTLY the same kind of rhetoric we heard back in 1969. "We must show our resove and see this thing through."
PLEASE! Just as the communists from North Vietnam never attacked your hometown or mine.....the insurgents in Iraq, (who by the way weren't there until Bush invaded) never attacked anywhere in this country, and wouldn't be in Iraq now if this incompetant president hadn't gone headlong into this thing without thinking it through first.
And dont hand me the "what about 911" thing......because Iraq and Saddam Hussein had NOTHING to do with it.
What's best for my family is to be a part of a United States that is respected internationally, rather than oe tat is loathed and feared by the rest of the world.
I am SO sick of 911 being used as an EXCUSE for EVERYTHING from job losses, to recession, to gas prices, to attacking a sovereign country, and on and on and on..........

[davros69]

Remember, remember, the 5th of november.

No, Truth2008. We committed to this. We will see it throught.
You want to site on the sideline, be monday day quarterback, fine. This is not a simple war of your right,Im wrong. Catch up to reality. What is best for your family, Huh, Tell us

[davros69]

A reminder for country.
3000 plus lives innocent live lost. Brothers, Sisters, Mothers, Fathers, Cousins, Grandmothers, Grandfathers. Soon to be Brothers, Sisters, Mothers, Fathers, Cousins, Grandmothers, Grandfathers

Our volunteer Sevicemens, That were Brothers, Sisters, Mothers, Fathers, Cousins, Grandmothers, Grandfathers. Soon to be Brothers, Sisters, Mothers, Fathers, Cousins, Grandmothers, Grandfathers

[truth2008]

I agree with Schieffer 100%. Maybe ths wasn't "Vietnam" in the beginning.
But it sure has become something uniquely resembling of a war that a)we can't get out of because of what will happen after we leave, b) we have to win because if we don't, the enemy will feel emboldened, and c)we can't seem to win and end anytime in the near future.
The rhetoric is the same, only the names and dates, and the longetude and latitude have changed.

[liberalmedia]

davros,

I don't understand your question. Who is killing whom? A lot of people are killing a lot of other people. Iraqis are killing Iraqis. Terrorists are killing Iraqis. Terrorists are killing US troops and contractors. US troops are killing terrorists and also some Iraqis. Everyone is killing everyone else.

I don't really see what that question has to do with the right of our people and our press to disagree with the policies of the White House when we see fit, and to see propaganda and call it what it is.

[davros69]

Mr.Iberalmedia, Let me Mr.Iberalmedia, Let me imploy a thought , who%u2019s killing who?