Goldwater & Vietnam

[HankW501]

I had heard that one big reason for Barry Goldwater's landslide loss in '64 was that people heard that he intended to use nuclear weapons against North Vietnam.

How true is that?

[Vega]

I doubt it was entirely true.

Even if he had wanted to, I doubt the military top brass would let him.

[bobloblaw]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDTBnsqxZ3k

[Vosem]

It was a disgusting -- albeit very successful -- smear.

["'Oeps!' De blunders van Rick Perry Indicted"]

Not a smear -- he really said stuff like that ("I'd drop a low-yield atomic bomb on the China supply lines in North Vietnam, or maybe shell 'em with the Seventh Fleet").