Helen Thomas: Kissenger Says Victory in Iraq is the Only Exit Strategy

[helderheid]

By Helen Thomas
Thursday, 05 October 2006

WASHINGTON -- Say it isn't so. Hawkish Henry Kissinger is advising President Bush about Iraq war strategy? This is deja vue all over again.

The former secretary of state -- who served in that job from 1973 to 1979 and previously from 1969 as national security affairs adviser -- inspires too many bad memories of the Vietnam War.

I remember when Kissinger came into the White House press room in 1972 just before the presidential election and announced "peace is at hand."

Three years later, we fled Saigon by our fingertips. Who can forget the pictures of refugees piling into helicopters parked on Saigon rooftops, with the North Vietnamese army at the gate.

That was in 1975 and we survived the defeat. The U.S. and Vietnam are now friendly, with diplomatic and business links.

Kissinger is back as an elder statesman doling out advice to embattled Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney that "victory over the insurgency is the only meaningful exit strategy."

Journalist-author Bob Woodward describes Kissinger's strong anti-withdrawal views in his new book "State of Denial."

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[yurbud]

1. The only "victory" would be like our one over Native Americans in 19th c

or Philippinos and Cubans at beginning of 20th. In the latter case, we killed them until they got tired of fighting. In the former, we used the fact that they were fighting back as an excuse to kill nearly all of them.

[MadMaddie]

4. But the difference between the Iraq region and the ones that you

mentioned....

The Iraq population the different tribes have often been attacked and have outlasted their oppressors and other countries are helping the insurgency.......

[yurbud]

5. good points. Tell Kissinger. of course, he thought commie big dogs

were helping Vietnam and STILL thought we could kill them into submission.

[Zomby Woof]

2. They have a factual error

He served as Sec'y of State through 1975, not '79.

[enigma000]

3. Peace was at hand

The Paris Peace Accords on January 27, 1973 formally recognized the sovereignty of both North and South Vietnam. All American combat troops were withdrawn by the end of March 1973.

In effect, it was a tie, like the Korean War. That is until the North invaded 2 years later.

The question is: how to prevent this scenario in Iraq?

[yurbud]

6. if it had stood divided, we could have called it a draw.

[Skidmore]

7. Kissinger needs to leave and take the rest of the old Nixon gang

with him. We need two generations to die out to get rid of this bunch of vipers. They keep refighting Vietnam, where they obviously never learned a freaking thing about waging war or peace. Richard Nixon--the gift that keeps on giving.