Fog of War - Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S McNamara (9 episode)

[thekkl]

I don't agree with Lesson #9.

"In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil."

If you feel that you are doing good by doing evil, you either need to redefine what you consider to be evil, or you aren't doing good. Remember, context is always important to the value judgements we make.

[KlingonSpider]

the problem with the vietnam war is (well war it's self is the problem, but...) that it was directed by the arrogant, I refer to the US's lack of respect for the vietcong and the folly of underestimating one's adversary. The US waged that war without honor; bear in mind when there is war there is glory and men of honor, yet only one may return home, the other forever remains on the battlefield consumed by the fog. Our leaders have no honor. They are no klingons! They like any patagh are cowards!

[ptroinks]

@tuzmor Who said anything about sympathy? I never mentioned it. I just thought it was a good quote and a "lesson" that's all too valid today.

[youknowitsme96]

Black OPs dude HOLY SHIT

[matako07]

he's playing Dumb here. There is now way a man of his intelligence could NOT know Vietnamese History or that Agent Orange is a carcinogen.

[peri2502]

This man may have made mistakes, but he has the courage to own up to it and admit it. A quality almost all people in positions of political power lack.

I respect this man.

[metacosmos]

Macnamara, war criminal as much as the US generals and their bombing of Tokyo with fire bombs.

[theonlyultraviolet]

what you should take away from this film is the level of cognitive dissonance everyone included during the war experienced. Push forward! Do obscene things that go against your better judgement!!!!

[flwebpro]

Obama is following LBJ's path to failure.

[MELISSA3536]

"we didn't know them well enough to empathize, they believed that we had simply replaced the French as a colonial power and we were seeking to subject South and North Vietnam to our colonial interests." "And we saw Vietnam as an element of the Cold War, not what they saw it as, a civil war." This lack of understanding is so often present during war.

[hojoleon]

well what did happen to all the other little nations, Lyndon?

[sgtgrizzo]

robert mcnamara is a humble man. I respect him for that

[MELISSA3536]

@sgtgrizzo I have to say I'm surprised at his candidness and find his perspective very interesting.

[sgtgrizzo]

@MELISSA3536 indeed not many people in this world have the courage to speak publicly about their mistakes espacially government officials. this is something george w bush needs to learn how to do

[MELISSA3536]

@sgtgrizzo agreed, I would say Cheney too. The problem is they would have to admit they made mistakes and take some responsibility for them, I can't imagine either one of those guys ever having the courage or hindsight to do that.

[ptroinks]

"If we can't persuade nations with comparable values of the merit of our cause, we'd better reexamine our reasoning."

[jasmcc1]

read the book the dark side of camelot by semour m. hersh it tells how we really got involved in vietnam

[pat442389]

@jasmcc1 well read another book because the troops were there b4 kennedy. that book is trash and written by a far right republican with a nasty agenda with no real historical value. try david talbot

[DougglesMagnificent]

@pat442389 hersh is far right? not at all

[pat442389]

@DougglesMagnificent yeah your right hes not, but the sources he used in the book were. at that point in history high level CIA ppl like helms were blaming JFK/ Dallas. Bay of Pigs on bobby. he used too many of their sides and as the years progressed most of what he wrote is wrong or one sided. the military advisers, joint chiefs, CIA officials and others were spinning and re-writing history to hide their crimes of plotting to kill foreign leaders, vietnam shit &drug dealing throughout the world

[MrDrSmithJr]

Subjecting them to our colonial interests absurd? Think again.

[HR5308]

Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan!

[A1sausie]

Robert Macnamara, was recorded saying this after 1966 when he was just starting to change his mind about Vietnam. He went from Hawk to Dove after seeing the reality of WAR!