Robert McNamara dies

[Bob]

Please see this...http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/0 ... htmlPeople always mention Robert McNamara when talking about the Vietnam war, but the truth is, JFK was scaling down the efforts in Nam when he was murdered. JFK wanted all troops out of Nam by 1965. At the time of his death, there were only 16,000 troops/advisors in Nam with only 82 deaths. After LBJ took over, the troop number swelled to over 500,000 troops by 1965. By the time the war was over, the U.S. had lost over 58,000 troops.

[JDThomas]

Well chosen words Bob; McNamara is vilified by many for carrying-out Johnsons policy in Vietnam, but as you rightly indicate, it is important to look at his tenure in office from all angles. He did a lot of good under JFK and the dictabelt recordings clearly show that they were together on withdrawl from Vietnam. He played hardball with LeMay and the other military hawks who came to loathe him. "To get to Kennedy, you have to get to McNamara".The Johnson dictabelt recordings with McNamara clearly show the about-face in policy, with LBJ also be patronising and demeaning to him and JFK for their former policy. So the question remains, even being friendly with LBJ, why did he not resign sooner when faced with such a u-turn in policy and its disasterous consequences?

[Pasquale DiFabrizio]

JDThomas wrote:Well chosen words Bob; McNamara is vilified by many for carrying-out Johnsons policy in Vietnam, but as you rightly indicate, it is important to look at his tenure in office from all angles. He did a lot of good under JFK and the dictabelt recordings clearly show that they were together on withdrawl from Vietnam. He played hardball with LeMay and the other military hawks who came to loathe him. "To get to Kennedy, you have to get to McNamara".The Johnson dictabelt recordings with McNamara clearly show the about-face in policy, with LBJ also be patronising and demeaning to him and JFK for their former policy. So the question remains, even being friendly with LBJ, why did he not resign sooner when faced with such a u-turn in policy and its disasterous consequences?That's a good question. Why did he not resign? I think I just saw him vilified on the news tonight. They were blaming HIM for keeping the Vietnam War going after JFK died. I guess it's easier for the media to blame him and not President Johnson and his cronies, eh?

[ThomZajac]

I'm not with you on this one boys. In my view, Robert McNamara was a poor excuse for a human being. Yes, LBJ and the Ruling Wizards were going to have their war no matter what, but Bob was all too happy to be the great enabler. He was nothing less than a lying war criminal. What he did before that matters little.If there is a hell, I'm sure he's there.

[Jsnow915]

I agree with Thom...he seemed to do what he was told...like any good servant afraid of being offed by the powers that be.

[Bob]

Please see the ominous banking (remember what JFK tried to do to the Federal Reserve) connections that some powerful people had, including some in his own administration...Kennedy was facing the fight of his young life against a group of wealthy powerful bankers and industrialists who had their representatives deeply implanted within American Government and business. The names of some of these people and the organizations they represented were:• Nelson Rockefeller - New York Governor• David Rockefeller - Chase Manhattan Bank president, co-founder of the Trilateral Commission• Douglas Dillon - Kennedy's Treasury Secretary and CFR member• The Wall Street Journal• Fortune Magazine editor Charles J. V. Murphy• Dean Rusk - Secretary of State and Iron Mountain panel member• Robert McNamara - Secretary of Defense until 1968, and later President of the World Bank (an adjunct of the United Nations and CFR)• McGeorge Bundy - National Security Advisor and Iron Mountain panel member• William Bundy - editor of the CFR's Foreign Affairs• Averill Harriman - director of the Mutual Security Agency, and chief of the Anglo-American military alliance.• Henry Cabot Lodge - U.S. Ambassador to Saigon• The Joint Chiefs of Staff• John J. McCloy - Assistant Secretary of War (WWII) and Kennedy advisor• Cyrus Vance - Secretary of the Army• Walt Rostow - State Department's Policy Planning Council and LBJ's National Security Advisor• Dean Acheson - Truman Secretary of State and Democratic foreign policy advisor

[ThomZajac]

Good list Bob. I agree that Kennedy intended to get out of Viet Nam by the end of 1965, and that the US wasn't very heavily involved while he was in office. I have no real qualms with JFK on this matter.It's McNamara that I had/have problems with. He's the war criminal.

[Pasquale DiFabrizio]

ThomZajac wrote:Good list Bob. I agree that Kennedy intended to get out of Viet Nam by the end of 1965, and that the US wasn't very heavily involved while he was in office. I have no real qualms with JFK on this matter.It's McNamara that I had/have problems with. He's the war criminal.I can go with you on that one. I was splitting hairs. Kind of taking the position that MSNBC was villifying him and NOT villifying guys like Johnson too.

[ThomZajac]

Caring about what the MSM says usually doesn't lead to anything good for me. I advise against it.

[Pasquale DiFabrizio]

ThomZajac wrote:Caring about what the MSM says usually doesn't lead to anything good for me. I advise against it.I know what you mean.I only care to the extent that they try to disinform people. Then I see red.