If Mr. Bush is privately thinking about the war he missed, the White House is not letting on

[dajoki]

NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/17/world/asia/18prexycnd.html?ex=1164430800&en=17ddc5e70e97426f&ei=5009&partner=MSN_NYTHOME

In Visit to Vietnam, Bush Cites Lessons for Iraq

By DAVID E. SANGER
Published: November 17, 2006

HANOI, Nov. 17 — In his first day in the capital of a country that was America’s wartime enemy during his youth, President Bush said today that the American experience in Vietnam contained lessons for the war in Iraq. Chief among them, he said, was that “we’ll succeed unless we quit.”

<<snip>>

Still, for all of Mr. Bush’s efforts to look beyond the past, the day was filled with jarring imagery. There was Mr. Bush in the palace in the center of this most gracious of Asian cities, being greeted in the former palace of the French governor general of Indochina by President Nguyen Minh Triet. The welcoming ceremony took place in a high-ceilinged, European-style hall dominated by a huge statue of Ho Chi Minh. Mr. Bush sat and chatted with Mr. Triet as Ho’s bearded visage looked over them.

<<snip>>

For Mr. Bush, who had never set foot in Vietnam before, this visit is something of a tightrope walk. America’s defeat here is increasingly being mentioned in comparison with how Iraq may turn out, and Mr. Bush was careful to stress that in Iraq, unlike Vietnam, defeat is not an option for the United States.

<<snip>>

In private, some White House officials concede that Mr. Bush’s visit to Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, scheduled many months ago, is proving to be spectacularly poorly timed, because of all the uncomfortable parallels between the two wars.

<<snip>>

If Mr. Bush is privately thinking about the war he missed, the White House is not letting on. Asked aboard Air Force One about “the lessons of the war,” Tony Snow, the president’s press secretary, said, “What’s interesting is that the Vietnamese are not particularly interested in that.” He added: “This is not going to be a look back at Vietnam. It really is going to be a looking forward to areas of cooperation and shared concern.”

[gratuitous]

1. Oh goody, more history lessons from President Gentleman's C

Gosh, I'll bet he feels all professorial and stuff.

[dajoki]

2. Do you think...

he has any feelings of guilt for skipping out on the war that was left for poor kids to fight? Stupid question, he's incapable of ANY feelings.

[enlightenment]

3. It sounded like he was trying to say he was a child

during the war -- the emphasis on "youth" in the comment.

Wanker.

[dajoki]

4. He's still a child n/t

[madrchsod]

5. he said a lot of insulting statements

but this ranks number one of all time insulting remarks. he actually made the statement in the country that lost a low estimate 5 million people and the actual figure is not known. millions of vietnamese died,thousands of americans died,and no one counts the still wounded and diseased on both sides. he has insulted those who died and those who still live on both sides of the war that he was to cowardly to fight in.

[PATRICK]

6. Genuinely clueless

and without conscience. In case anyone wondered.

[dajoki]

7. I take no conscience for granted n/t