Another History Lesson

Prominent among the stories about Gerald Ford's presidency is the End of the Vietnam War. Ford had the misfortune to sit in the Oval Office as Americans ignominiously departed Vietnam just ahead of North Vietnamese tanks. According to the Washington Post after Saigon fell in 1975 and the United States evacuated from Vietnam, Ford was often labeled the only American president to lose a war. The label always rankled. "Well," he said, "I was mad as hell, to be honest with you, but I never publicly admitted it."

I can see why Ford inherited the war from Richard Nixon and had been in office less than a year when Saigon fell. For that reason, I would certainly assign some of this dubious honor to his immediate predecessor and perhaps even to the one before. When I think of responsibility for Vietnam, Gerald Ford's name is well down the list behind Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger, Lyndon Johnson and Robert McNamara.

Gerald Ford and others blamed the Democratic Congress for cutting off funds for Vietnam in January 1975. If only the US had stayed the course we would have prevailed, a mantra we hear often these days about Iraq. What I find amazing about this argument is that it fails to recognize what a hollow government we supported in South Vietnam. Think about it. After 20 years of military aid, combat troops and continued logistical support, the South Vietnamese Army simply collapsed in less than four months. The North Vietnamese offensive swept the entire south in a matter of weeks. Our plucky ally was little more than an illusion supported with American dollars.

Iraq has even less of a government and army than did South Vietnam after two decades of American investment. And there is no likelihood that Iraq will have a legitimate government as long as Americans remain as occupiers. That's why we need to get out now, as quickly as possible. The International Crisis Group has put forward a proposal that would move in that direction. BushCheney would be wise to use that blueprint for extricating America from the quagmire and civil war he has unleashed.

I would be very surprised if that happens. I fully expect more of the same from BushCheney. After all, he doesn't want to be known as a president who lost a war. He will leave that title to future presidents, just like Richard Nixon did.