Posted on 07/11/2006 6:14:32 AM PDT by InvisibleChurch
You got it. The inconvenient fact that he pulled the troops out of Vietnam is ignored. That he didn't pull them out immediately was held to be awful his opponents wanted an immidate take-over of South Viet Nam by the North. The majority of the casualties that we took in Nam occured before Nixon took office, but you would never know that.
I think Carter's domestic policy was pretty bad. Consider this, under Carter we had high taxes, high unemployment, multiple recessions, high interest rates, sky-high inflation, and the stock market lost value during his administration. The irony is that based on normal economic models, the economy during the Peanut Farmer years isn't even possible (high unemployment, high inflation and high interest rates shouldn't coexist, they should start cancelling each other out).
I spent all of 1970 in Cam Rahn Bay, RVN. The most common rumor at the time was that the three biggest civilian contracting companies were owned by Lady Bird Johnson. The companies were Pacific Architects & Engineers, CN&T (a stevedoring firm) and Alaskan Barge & Transport.
It was also common knowledge during this time period that LBJ entered politics at a young age as a poor man but died a rich man while never holding a job in private sector. My opinion is that he got rich on the blood of my fellow vets.
As an aside; I was stationed at NAF Washington (Andrews Air Force Base) upon my return to the states, and was there when LBJ died. As he was a former Navy man, I was one of those initially selected for an all Navy poll bearer group for him. At first I vigorously objected to this assignment due to my extreme dislike for him, but on reflection I acquiesced thinking that at least it would put me first in line to piss on his grave. I got a reprieve at the last minute when they decided on a last minute multi-service group of poll bearers.
I wouldn't argue that for a second. But the vastly expanded social welfare system produced by LBJ's Great Society programs has been much costlier over the long haul. Most, if not all, of Carter's domestic policay damage was repaired over Reagan's terms. LBJ's is the gift that keeps on giving, even today.
...and then there's The Bird's "Beautification Project."
Sad to say that some are doing exactly that. The Clinton years are too close to the present for comfort and the presence of Hillary on the political stage keeps Clinton nostalgia to a minimum (so far).
We had a recent post from one of those dangerously-uninformed-idealistic student editorial writers who thought that Carter was a fantastic president and that we need another one (perish the thought).
That is the truth!
It is a very revealing picture of LBJ's personality. McClellan worked as a lawyer for a company which LBJ did his business exclusively. He should have known him well.
LBJ got rich because he was the bagman for the oil companies. His success as Senate leader had less to do with his personal persuavive powers than his ability to fund--or not fund-- his fellow senators re-election campaigns. He thought that the access to this money would give him the Democratic nomination in 1960, but he didn't count on Joe Kennedy's willingness to spend his fortune to elect Jack.
Johnson was a terrible human being. His long time lawyer Barr McClellan has written a book: BLOOD, HONOR, MONEY, AND POLITICS, HOW LBJ KILLED JFK. This was his PERSONAL attorney of thirty years!.
In it he tells how his boss Ed Clark, another close friend and financial advisor to Johnson was put in charge or organizing the JFK assassination.
This book is a bombshell. Never heard of it have you? THAT'S BECAUSE THE MSM HAS BOYCOTTED IT.
Cronkite, Rather, Huntley, Binkley, Smith, Reasoner, long-time US media types COVEREDUP the murder of the President of the United States and the major networks will not cover this.
I don't think Carter had much to do with it, re: Afghanistan. And Reagan much less than I once thought.
I highly recommend Charlie Wilson's War, on the subject.
Actually, we can go back to Woodrow Wilson for Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh tried to speak with Wilson at the peace negotiations for World War I. Ho Chi Minh was a fan of the west at that time, and wanted to get Wilson's help to get France out of Vietnam, then French Indochina. Wilson not only refused to speak with him, but insulted him as well. Ho Chi Minh sought help from the Communists instead.
Vietnam War = Abandoning SE Asia to 30 years of communist horror, 20 million people slaughtered by the commies, and a present of poverty, illiteracy, desease, and all the rest of communism's blessings
What did he say? "I refuse to speak to someone who smells like goats?"
I'm not much on conspiracies. A good case can be made that Stanton was aware of the plot to decapitate the federal Government in 1865, with Stanton making himself dictator. It might have worked if the assassin who was supposed to kill Johnson had not lost his nerve. Another assassin came within a hair of killing the secretary of State who was third in line. The Treasury secretary, who was next in line, could never have stood up to Stanton.
Even John Kerry believed that Nixon was President in 1968.
It's Viet Nam.
I remember wondering back at Christmastime '68, why did President Nixon ever get us into this crazy war? It's seared into my brain.
"NASS President and Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed nominated Johnson for the award and expressed his admiration for the former president’s political courage."Sam Reed is WA states RINO (he might as well be a Democrat) Secretary of State.
Thanks to SW6906 for the post.
Say WA? Evergreen State ping
FReepmail sionnsar if you want on or off this ping list.
Ping sionnsar if you see a Washington state related thread.
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