I am young. I am only 30 years old. I have a broad knowledge of the outlines of history, but no depth to that understanding. That is why I had not read this speech until now, and why having read it, the Vietnam War at last makes sense - both in its glory and its tragedy.
And then I re-read it with an eye towards today, and found George W. Bush wanting. And it amazes me that any supporter of the War on Terror and the War on Iraq still supports him. A speech like the one by LBJ, even minus it's last surprise announcement, could never be given by the current President, whose rhetoric is divorced from reality and whose entire campaign ethos is founded on negative attacks rather than a positive vision.
yet conservatives remain spellbound. Their cognitive dissonance is astounding.
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