TheAnvil

I think that was when Kennedy sent in the special forces advisors. The acronym CIDG rings a bell for some odd reason. Haven't read about that in a few years. Fascinating era of history. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

'61 my ass. MAAG was set up around 1950 or so to help the Frenchies before they got their butts kicked at Dien Bien Phu. The first US death was an advisor - some LTC - during the Truman administration. I mean from COMINTERN to French involvement to divided North/South to DRV recognition by a superpower - the parallels just aren't there dude. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Isn't M&C based on the first book of a 20 book series? Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

I know his history. I also read his article. I stand by my assertion that it is nothing but an attack piece. Take another look at it once more. It really is well done. He draws some tenuous parallels between Vietnam and Iraq (very tenuous). He invokes the names of heros like John McCain and John Kerry (I WOULD like to see a live discussion on Dewey Canyon between Mrs. Cleland and Kerry and McCain) and slams Bush for his lack of service in Vietnam with a one liner at closing. Attack piece. Nothing more. No plan presented. A discredit to the man - he knows better. Both conflicts have guerilla warfare aspects. Other than that - no real parallels. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

I read Mr. Cleland's article when it came out in the AJC. Nice attack piece from the left. He uses the President's non-service in Vietnam combined with his own service over there to give himself some credibility, and makes some salient points and some incorrect ones. A few assorted comments: A. Most troops are not bogged down in Baghdad. B. Mr. Johnson pressed for the GoT resolution during a Presidential campaign. He slaughtered Goldwater. Don't tell me he didn't have support for the use of force. MACV had already been stood up by that time as well - evolved from MAAG I believe. C. J.P. Vann disagrees with Mr. Lippman. The Marine experience in Vietnam proves Mr. Lippman wrong as well, though I think Walt Lippman's response to containment was well written as a whole, but here he is just flat plain wrong. D. Mr. Cleland should point to the lie in the SOTU. I'll be so pleased when he finds it. I want the quote. Remember - the Brits still stand by their intelligence. E. Faulty intelligence is easy to criticize in hindsight. That is the crux of Cleland's attack piece. Whaaah whaahh whaaah. If Cleland has a problem with US intelligence he should have publicly chastized his fellow leftie Mr. Moynihan in the mid-90's for advocating the abolition of the CIA and introducing a bill to do just that. F. Cleland ignores COMINTERN and a myriad of other external pressures and factors that do not exist in Iraq - far too numerous to list - that did exist in Vietnam. To his discredit, Cleland is a fairly intelligent fellow and knows damned well that all of the data he omitted was quite pertinent. They just wouldn't fit well into his attack piece. G. Cleland presents no plan - just an attack piece. I still see very few parallels. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Highly recommended by Vinny the Anvil. They even got larboard and starboard correct. Very well done indeed. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Dammit. You're making me tell my age. And I'm all sensitive about turning a year older a few days ago....OK, so the sensitivity comes from the tequila Sebazz, Pop, SkyOCiel, Gian, FlyMySky, KerMor (Gwen,you are an evil man bent on my destruction), SkydiveXXL, et al decided to pour down my throat. I'm 31 years old and a few days. Why? I see American entrance into Vietnam for two reasons: 1) Kennan's containment theory of foreign policy was still in use; our entry was an extension of that policy (one I think we should have dropped after Korea, but hindsight is bliss) 2) We wanted to kiss some Frenchie BUTT to get them in on that missile treaty (I forget which one). In contrast, I really haven't been able to fathom Bush's Iraqi-centric foreign policy. Not containment. No allied[sic] presence in country. Nada as far as similarities go. In the internal scene, Vietnam was under the Khmer Dynasty in ancient times, a Kingdom based in Hue more recently, and under French occupation then the US came into the picture. Iraq has a markedly different history. Vietnam was split into two countries - Iraq isn't. The COMINTERN was backing the insurgents in Vietnam. Though well-funded, Al-Quaida couldn't compare on their BEST day with that sort of backing. The old bipolar foreign policy environment still held back in the days of Vietnam - not so now. I just don't see the parallels some folks are drawing. Different paradigms of foreign policy in all respects as I see them.

Dude - I'd like to see the parallels you're drawing between Iraq & Vietnam. I see them as completely different. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

0:3:0. H-town KingAir broke after my first jump on Saturday, so I headed to Monterey with some other H-town denizens. Two jumps was enough. Helped out with an FJC today (Sunday) and headed home. Sloooooooow weekend for TheAnvil.

Check out around the world airfares from this site: http://www.airtreks.com/ I've gotten some good deals through them in the past. Europe is always a blast - I've heard great things about the Euro-Rail or Eur-Rail passes, though I've never been there long enough to need one. If you go DO NOT miss Munich or Vienna.

I was hoping another dz.com'er had come into the Libertarian fold from the thread's title...... I agree with you on the quality downloads dude. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Anyone wishing to get me a Christmas gift need look no further.... Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Believe it or not, I do plan on reading that. I don't give Clark the credence I give Krepenovich (historical perspective of Vietnam) or J.P. Vann - more of a tactician. I highly recommend both books - they give you a great perspective of guerilla warfare and how to fight one. I'm sure any Army general has read them - most military officers in fact. The reviews on Amazon were undoubtedly written by Clark supporters - the ones I skimmed anyway. His antics in Kosovo got him relieved - for several reasons. I do plan on reading his book someday, however. It's just not high up on the list at this point. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Re-read some things about military theory dude. Might I suggest Krepenovich's book on Vietnam and John Paul Vann as well? Nice article though. Poor donkey. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Bar Rule #11 should apply in cases such as these. The uneducated masses don't comprehend that lawsuits cost these corporations money, and that corporations do not have an endless supply of money. That's the left's plan to win on the gun control issue - sue the companies into bankruptcy. Almost makes me wish for a loser-pays legal system. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Swwwweeeeeet pics! Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

I hope you are kidding. That would be a far more egregious abuse of our judicial system than the suit in Kennedy's original post. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Increased fall rate for you!!! Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Disgusting. What the hell is wrong with those people? Does the concept of personal responsibility mean anything to them? Obviously not. Truly disgusting. What about hammer manufacturers? I know HUNDREDS of people who have slammed their thumbs with a hammer. Fidiots. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

ooooooh Andy......that hurts me just reading it.....I'm smacking my lips in anticipation of the taste of agave..... Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

LMFAO! Hadn't read that. Thanks! Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

I think the Brits will stay - they're pretty tough lot. I think Al Quaida is screwing up though. By attacking targets in Muslim nations they show the general Muslim populace what they are all about. Not good for them. This gives Muslim nations more incentive to go after them as well. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Dude, surely you don't believe the US problems over in the MidEast are due to the Iraqi invasion. I'd say several things cause us problems over there. Including, but not limited to: - Israel. The US has always supported Israel. Prime stressor. - Iran. US support of the fallen Shah of Iran and his brutal internal police in the '70's - SAVAK I think they were called - pissed off the Farsi speaking section of the region. We're slowly recovering from this. - Jihads proclaimed against western culture and people by radical Muslim clerics. - USS Vincennes incident Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

If you delay your recovery long enough, I'll be in Florida for you to snuggle with........ Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

That's an interesting read. I also read once that a Soviet fellow stated that one of the best ways to weaken America would be to destroy her educational system from within. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!