General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: CNN Tonight: The Assassination of JFK [View all]stopbush
(24,396 posts)The neighbor kid who lived behind us was two years older than me. He was blown up by a mortar in 'Nam on his frickin birthday. A few weeks later, his dad got a posthumously delivered letter from him saying how scared he was.
I was no fan of LBJ and his escalation - it could have got me killed. But I took my chances and went through the draft. Luckily, I pulled a low number that was well below the cut-off date at the time (I still have my draft card, BTW). My brother's birthday - one year older than me - drew #13 in his draft year. He went for a CO and got it. Had our minister vouch for him. Of course, these days he's a flaming Republican.
So, yeah, I had some "personal life investment" in the war and those years. That doesn't change the fact that JFK DID increase the number of military advisors in 'Nam dramatically.
I happen to be a fan of both JFK and LBJ. But the fact is that LBJ accomplished more for this country than did JFK, simply because he had the time to do so. His escalation of the war is a major debit against his presidency. That's enough of a black mark in and of itself, and we shouldn't let it color all the great things he did for this country.
Those who idealize JFK and loathe LBJ do so almost entirely out of their HOPE and belief that JFK would have withdrawn from Nam, but that isn't the course he was on. His public statements shout to the rafters that he was committed to Vietnam. All of the "but he privately said" crap is just hearsay and nothing else.
Those who accuse LBJ of being behind the murder of JFK are delusional fucks. I have no time or patience for such idiocies.