political control in the military
"No new taxes." This is a quote that most all of us remember from the 1992 presidential election. Along with it we remember that there were new taxes during that presidents term in office. There are a myriad of promises made and things done in a presidential election year that have questionable motives as to whether they are done in the best interest of the people or in the interests of the presidential candidate. These hidden interests are one of the biggest problems with the political aspects of government in modern society. One of the prime examples of this is the Vietnam War. Although South Vietnam asked for our help, which we had previously promised, the entire conflict was managed in order to meet personal political agendas and to remain politically correct in the world's eyes rather than to bring a quick and decisive end to the conflict. This can be seen in the selective bombing of Hanoi throughout the course of the Vietnam War. Politically this strategy looked very good. However, militarily it was ludicrous. War is the one arena in which politicians have no place. War is the military's sole purpose. Therefore, the U. S. Military should be allowed to conduct any war
The military involvement in Vietnam is directly related to the political management of the military throughout the war. The military controlled by the politicians. The micro management of the military by the White House for political gain is the primary reason for both the length and cost, both monetary and human, of the Vietnam War ( Pelland ). One of the largest problems was the lack of a clear objective in the war and the support to accomplish it. The predominant military opinion of the military's role in Vietnam in respect to the political involvement is seen in the following quote by General Colin Powell, "If you're going to put into something then you owe the armed forces, you owe the American People, you owe just you're own desire to succeed, a clear statement of what political objective you're trying to achieve and then you put the sufficient force to that objective so that you know when you've accomplished it." The politicians dictated the war in Vietnam, it was a limited war, the military was never allowed to fight the war in the manner that the thought that they needed to in order to win it ( Baker ). Foundation. PBS, College Station. 9-10 Jan. 1996. "Interview with Secretary of State, James Baker." Frontline WGBH
Some common words found in the essay are:
Vietnam War, Tonkin Resolution, Gulf War, South Vietnam, American People, Control Military, War Politically, George Bush, Schwarzkopf President, White House, vietnam war, involvement vietnam, war military, military control, southeast asia, political management, political involvement, gulf war, pbs college station, 1964 department, quick decisive, educational foundation pbs, foundation pbs college, department bulletin 24, bulletin 24 aug,
Approximate Word count = 1626
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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