[SMARTY]

My best friend served in Viet Nam... my understanding is that the US never suffered a tactical defeat in that fight.

The politicians lost that one for us...but the politicians were not the ones who took the heat for the loss.

[rollo tomasi]

Tet offensive was a real-time victory against the push that turned into a loss for the US through manipulating public perception.

Victor-Charlie's most potent allies were in positions of political, media, and academic power in the United States. All those who served/drafted had no chance at victory.

[ealgeone]

My best friend served in Viet Nam... my understanding is that the US never suffered a tactical defeat in that fight. The politicians lost that one for us...but the politicians were not the ones who took the heat for the loss.

Spot on! We never lost an engagement to the commies up north.

When lbj is approving bombing targets you know it's not going to end up well.

[sima_yi]

There is a story, perhaps apocryphal:

At the Pairs Peace Talks, an American officer said to an NVA officer "You never beat us on the battlefield."

The NVA officer replied "That's true, but it's also irrelevant."

[arthurus]

The US actually won that war twice, in 1968 and in 1972. Both times Hanoi was ready to sue for peace. In 1972 the top folks in Hanoi were making arrangements to go on vacation in the Soviet Union and expected for NVN to be occupied. Both times we backed off to allow the poor beleaguered commies to rebreathe and regroup. Read Giap’s memoirs.

[cuban leaf]

The tet offensive was a spectacular military failure for the viet cong. But a HUGE propaganda success in the states. We actually could have won that war handily.

[5th MEB]

We won every real fight; and it was not just the politicians, you have to include the media and a large number of prog/lib citizens in there.