Thought for Food

Bill Moyers Journal: LBJ's Path to War

Herein: far too many parallels to BHO’s path to war.

Moyers begins the segment, which aired on Nov. 20th, with these words:

Our country wonders this weekend what is on President Obama’s mind. He is apparently, about to bring months of deliberation to a close and answer General Stanley McChrystal’s request for more troops in Afghanistan. When he finally announces how many, why, and at what cost, he will most likely have defined his presidency, for the consequences will be far-reaching and unpredictable. As I read and listen and wait with all of you for answers, I have been thinking about the mind of another president, Lyndon B. Johnson.

I was 30 years old, a White House Assistant, working on politics and domestic policy. I watched and listened as LBJ made his fateful decisions about Vietnam. He had been thrust into office by the murder of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963— 46 years ago this weekend. And within hours of taking the oath of office was told that the situation in South Vietnam was far worse than he knew….

Hat tip to M. — who has been pestering me to watch this for a week. Glad I finally did (well, listen while I worked).