I guess you will also trot out that old chestnut on how "America could have won the war but was betrayed by the politicians".

And, what's commonly referred to as Realpolitik.

...not to mention the Chinese factor...

What was the Chinese factor?

Vietnam could have gone the same way Korea went.

China was the main supplier of arms to the NVA and things got very hot when Nixon mined Haiphong Harbor Christmas of '79?

1975: After the Democrats in Congress cut off aid and promised air support, South Vietnam was doomed. When Saigon actually fell, that symbolized what a disaster the Vietnam War turned out to be.

Interesting.Many years after the War, mcNamara met with the Vietnamese foreign Minister from that period.They almost came to blows after McNamara said the same as you.The minister said something like "We have been fighting the Chinese for over a 1000 years, we would have NEVER let them take over"

Another example of Americans fighting a war without knowing their ennemy first. This is why they made costly and strategic mistakes in Vietnam and this is why they are doing it again in Iraq. Both wars have been lost because of this.

btw, it seems that the yanks will be pulling out next year according to a new leaked British memo. Shameful. They destroyed a country and now that they can't fix it, they are leaving like cowards. If you can't finish a war, don't start one like a spoiled kid.

Edited March 8, 200620 yr by Butterfly

More illogical silliness from Butterfly.

How do you "know" your enemy until you have fought numerous battles with them and felt out there strengths and weaknesses?

The only coward around here is the "toothless wolf"!

That's why we have Intelligence Agency and country experts. They were telling you from the start what was in store, but you gun happy "conservatives" didn't want to listen.

Maybe they should have talked to the French?

In my opinion, the biggest mistake was that the US thought it was fighting to stop communism.

Ho Chi Minh was a Nationalist first and a communist second. He was fighting to unify his country and have full independence. He had been fighting a nationalist cause since the 1930's. The French, then the Japanese, then the French again and finally, the Americans. He was willing to suffer huge casualties to reach his goal and he said that if ten Vietnamese were to die for every one American, he would win in the end. He knew that American public opinion would go against the war once American casualties mounted.