Saturday, April 30, 2005

Vietnam, Iraq, Bush and the BBC

This must be the week of the liberal press. The BBC provides the classic America/Bush bash veiled as some kind of international news story.

Divisive war still haunts America

The only haunting happens when left wing press organizations and candidates bring it up. Its not America's fault that Hanoi Jane decided to write a book.

‘We interviewed a Vietnamese widow who lived in a village near Hue…Despite her astonishing loss she told me she felt no bitterness towards America and Bill Clinton.’

It is reassuring to know that one old woman speaks for all of Vietnam.

One of the most damaging accusations against John Kerry, the senator who failed to unseat George Bush last year was that he returned from the Vietnam War to help lead the campaign against it.

I can’t seem to remember who brought up the Vietnam thing during the campaign.

Although virtually no one in this country believes that Vietnam was a war worth fighting…

That’s only because of the crummy way in which we fought it. No war without an objective is worth fighting.

So lets use the occasion to slam Bush once again…

He also hoped that people would contrast his medals with the fact that George Bush was at best flying circles over Alabama in the Air National Guard or at worst a coward who shirked his responsibility.

And remind us all that he really isn't the US President...

The American election was still being disputed in the courts

Toss in the obligatory homage to Bill Clinton...
(While never bringing up what he was doing during the war)

The process of normalisation started about 10 years ago and I well remember one of its highlights: the visit by Bill Clinton to Vietnam in 2000.

And then compare Vietnam to Iraq…

Iraq is far from becoming another Vietnam. But today the ghosts of the jungle are busy getting resurrected in the sands around Baghdad.

These people are so predictable.

I have a question. Why is a British reporter that was born in Germany writing this article? It gives me a warm fuzzy to know they are so concerned about US/Vietnam relations.