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| | ==The Vietnam War== | | ==The Vietnam War== |
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| − | President Lyndon B. Johnson (“LBJ”) was sworn into office in November 1963. He was a tough Texan used to giving orders. He increased greatly our involvement in the Vietnam War, but would not let the military generals direct the war in a manner to win it. Instead, President Johnson would issue the orders for bombings and military maneuvers from the White House. Unfortunately, he didn’t know much about war, particularly guerrilla warfare. | + | President Lyndon B. Johnson ("LBJ") was a very powerful, arrogant and intimidating politician who quickly rose to power as a United States Senator in the 1950s before becoming Vice President and then President in the 1960s. He is considered by his biographer to have been the most effective Senate Majority Leader in history in the late 1950s, and his ability to manipulate the legislative process enabled him to pass his "Great Society" program when he later became President. |
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| | + | Johnson was a tough Texan used to giving orders and destroying anyone who got in his way. His tricks included personal accusations and threats, and even sending opponents on foreign trips at a time when a key vote was scheduled, so they could not vote against it. Johnson became so famous for his confrontational tactics that it even acquired a name: "The Treatment," which consisted of Johnson confronting an adversary and berating him with Johnson's face only inches from his opponent. |
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| | + | But his own arrogance, manipulation and intimidating tactics became his undoing. In the fall of 1964, Johnson was up for reelection and he unjustifiably feared defeat. <more> |
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| | + | He increased greatly our involvement in the Vietnam War, but would not let the military generals direct the war in a manner to win it. Instead, President Johnson would issue the orders for bombings and military maneuvers from the White House. Unfortunately, he didn’t know much about war, particularly guerrilla warfare. |
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| | Vietnam is a huge country: 81 million people, more than North and South Korea combined. Vietnam is also a jungle. The Communists had planted land mines everywhere. A substantial percentage of our casualties in the Vietnam War were from stepping on land mines. | | Vietnam is a huge country: 81 million people, more than North and South Korea combined. Vietnam is also a jungle. The Communists had planted land mines everywhere. A substantial percentage of our casualties in the Vietnam War were from stepping on land mines. |
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| | Our leaders mishandled everything about the war. We would win a battle and then our leaders would call for a “cease-fire” to discuss settlement. But the Communists had no intention of settling, and they would just use the cease-fires to obtain replacement of all their ammunition and supplies from China and the Soviet Union. | | Our leaders mishandled everything about the war. We would win a battle and then our leaders would call for a “cease-fire” to discuss settlement. But the Communists had no intention of settling, and they would just use the cease-fires to obtain replacement of all their ammunition and supplies from China and the Soviet Union. |
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| − | The war became hugely unpopular, and people from all walks of life began protesting against in the United States. They caused disruption at colleges. The protests became bigger and bigger. Democratic President Lindon B. Johnson was in the White House, but he just kept fighting the war. He became obsessed with bombing North Vietnam, but wouldn’t let our generals win the war completely. Instead, LBJ insisted on ordering some bombing raids here and there without doing what was necessary to win the war. Later politicians swore that we should never repeat the mistake of Vietnam, which means we should never enter a war unless we are committed to doing what is necessary to win it. Later Presidents also avoided Johnson’s mistake of dictating detailed military strategy from the White House. | + | The war became hugely unpopular, and people from all walks of life began protesting against in the United States. They caused disruption at colleges. The protests became bigger and bigger. Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson was in the White House, but he just kept fighting the war. He became obsessed with bombing North Vietnam, but wouldn’t let our generals win the war completely. Instead, LBJ insisted on ordering some bombing raids here and there without doing what was necessary to win the war. Later politicians swore that we should never repeat the mistake of Vietnam, which means we should never enter a war unless we are committed to doing what is necessary to win it. Later Presidents also avoided Johnson’s mistake of dictating detailed military strategy from the White House. |
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| | ==Election of 1968== | | ==Election of 1968== |