Okay, anti-war types, you’ve wanted to turn Iraq into Vietnam from day one.
Henry Kissinger agrees that there are parallels. But you may find Kissinger’s comparisons not quite what you wanted:
“Of course, history never repeats itself exactly. Vietnam and Iraq are different conflicts in different times, but there is an important similarity: A point was reached during the Vietnam War when the domestic debate became so bitter as to preclude rational discussion of hard choices. Administrations of both political parties perceived the survival of South Vietnam as a significant national interest. They were opposed by a protest movement that coalesced behind the conviction that the war reflected an amorality that had to be purged by confrontational methods. This impasse doomed the U.S. effort in Vietnam; it must not be repeated over Iraq.”
Kissinger knows how the anti-war movement affected the outcome in Vietnam; has suggestions for how to deal with the current impasse. I think what he fails to note is how failure in Iraq affected the U.S.’s confidence and ability to act in our own best interests on the world stage. And Ho Chi Minh is benign compared to our current enemy.