Did Myths Blind Americans to 'Mistake' of Vietnam? - Neil Sheehan

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2009/10/12/A_New_Cold_War_Neil_Sheehan

Journalist Neil Sheehan discusses his initial support for the Vietnam War, which he now views as a mistake. "We were supposed to be saving this country Vietnam, but what we were doing was blowing it up and burning it down."

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Sheehan will explain the notion that we've gone from a Cold War with the former Soviet Union to what he terms a "new Cold War" with countries like North Korea and Iran.

He will discuss in detail how close the U.S. and Soviet Union came to nuclear annihilation and how lessons learned from the Cold War apply to today's threats, including those from terrorists. - Commonwealth Club of California

Neil Sheehan is a former correspondent for The New York Times. Sheehan is also a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize and the author of A Fiery Peace in a Cold War.

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[KhmerD0g]

LOL.

america is trading with vietnam today. vietnam is at peace with its neighbors now. they are rebuilding their country. yes, it is a commie country but it beats democratic elected government like Haiti, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and others.

[ndyt]

I wrote a high-school paper in 1985 saying the same thing this guy just said. I will go one further: Afghanistan and Iraq are this generation's Vietnam. How are they going to get here? Delta? Did the 911 hijackers come from there? No, they came from Saudi and Egypt.

[Sharlita82]

No, the north vietnamese also wanted to conquer the south vietnamese. when we pulled out of vietnam, the north butchered hundreds of thousands of their southern neighbors. To say they JUST wanted independence is horse shit.

[humberlick]

The sad thing that no one went to jail for the war crime committed by those politicians.

[mjjcng8958]

@panthercar425 So peoples hadns and hand guns that are on our streets. the world has been at war since the begining of time. we are waring in this country, killing each other with our words. to me their is a bigger war going on at home. so you are right war does kill and so do words. as long as people hate and hurt and have greed their will always be wars

[panthercar425]

Don't go to war it kills people

[panthercar425]

Don't go to war it kills people

[dwm1812]

But Neil - Communism did spread throughout the areas you said it didn't. Communism invaded South & Central America - it is still there today though some say its Socialism. I am not against it - I wish you;d be a little more academically honest when you talk about "myths."

[dwm1812]

"All they wanted us to do was go home..." Not entirely true Neil - we did fight along side South Vietnam which was against Ho and the Communist Party. The South was corrupt and ineffciient but to say that "they" wanted us to go home is false and misleading. Why did so many flee the Country after the fall of Saigon? Because they wanted us to go home?

Vietnam is a wonderful country now - and they have hot women. But Neil, you generalize to fit your agenda!

[geezzerboy]

Steve McGarrett stopped the Communist invasion of Hawaii lots of time.

[originaljonesdotinfo]

decades later, and Fora still poses this as a question. such are the power of these myths, that even when they are conclusively shattered by history they still hold some claim to reality.