Unusual Presidential Elections

[jravnsbo]

The Dem convention in MA , has already backfired.  It seemed at the time they picked AM as Kerry was going to be the party's guy and now he has fallen flat.  PLus this new Gay marriage ruling from MA will be talked about while the Dems are in Boston and lastly all the reminders of NE Liberals and MA and Dukakis will come to bear.

I thought at the time the Dems should have picked a city in a more competitive state.  MA is almosta  Dem lock, heck they even voted for McGovern!

Personally, I think the Republicans using New York as their convention city in order to exploit the 9-11 issue is going to backfire on them.  But the only thing we can do is wait and see.  

Meanwhile I'll be watching the Democratic convention in Boston.

 

[jravnsbo]

Don't forget 1960 for closest elections.  Isn't it like one vote per precint would have given it to Nixon?

  Plus a few more live people in Chicago, St Louis and texas, but another story.  

[jravnsbo]

What would happen, a lot of Cali liberals would be crying unfair! God is even against us! LOL

[jravnsbo]

I hope the lessons from Korea and Vietnam are these:  you can't fight a war not to win and expect to do so.

[jravnsbo]

I don't agree.  We could have easily won both wars if the politicians would have let the generals wint he wars.  Truman held McArther back and LBJ was too worried with how the press would play it instead of winnign the war and getting it over with.

I hope the lessons from Korea and Vietnam are these:  you can't fight a war not to win and expect to do so.

There is another lesson as well: a foreign power cannot try and fight a civil war in another country.  

[jravnsbo]

We could have won Vietnam.  Ok this will sound cold but true in war.

LBJ was afraid to bomb strategic targets , where civilian casualties could have been greater.  However when Nixon allowed it they North woke up! they said hey maybe we at least better negotiate instead of sitting in Paris and talking about how long the table is.  

By allowing their supply lines to continue they were allowed to kill many other Americans.  You have to destroy the enemies will to resist in all manners possible.

I don't agree.  We could have easily won both wars if the politicians would have let the generals wint he wars.  Truman held McArther back and LBJ was too worried with how the press would play it instead of winnign the war and getting it over with.

I hope the lessons from Korea and Vietnam are these:  you can't fight a war not to win and expect to do so.

There is another lesson as well: a foreign power cannot try and fight a civil war in another country.  

Korea yes. Vietnam no. You would have had to kill everyone, millions of civilians to win. It would never have worked. You were essentially a foreign power invading another nation, and the people would have fought you relentlessly. I agree that wasn't very fair, but it's the way it turned out. You could have nuked them, or something similar, but what kind of a win would that have been? Look at the Russian civil war, Chechnya, Kurdistan, there are many examples.