Pre-emptive Warfare and the Viet Nam Effect(Kat-Mo)

So, Barack Obama's little "video that never made it to a campaign ad" about freezing development of new nuclear weapons and reducing existing arsenals, plus Joe Biden's "we're going to do something that might make the polls go down and won't seem right in the beginning, trust us" speech, might have some defense minded folks a little worried.

At least worried enough to make a statement to the press.

Their main concern is that our current weapons are largely from post WWII Cold War era and Reagan's build up in the 80's. Nuclear weapons can erode, even with general maintenance. It is one of the main issues with Russia's deteriorating nuclear arsenal. Nuclear proliferation is on the rise and the US military proficiency in handling the weapons has been notably slipping.

But, SecDef Gates' concern is that the loss of nuclear weapons is a loss of deterrence in a world with rapidly rising third world countries continually developing or attempting to develop a nuclear arsenal.

Obviously, someone is a little concerned about the re-emergence of the left's Cold War mentality that unilateral disarmament will convince others to do the same or that the US is not a threat so there is no need to develop such weapons or point them at the US. A mentality that is about to be elected into office.

Is anyone else concerned that, even electing a much younger person to office (if we do), it will still be the same issue with the 2004 election: Viet Nam radicals keep coming back to haunt us.

Aren't we done with this yet?

Is anyone else tired of having the Viet Nam syndrome still shoved up our batuskis? Obama doesn't come to his conclusion about nuclear disarmament from a post Cold War euphoria about a new world without real enemies that can seriously confront the remaining super power of the United States. Even though that is a false premise as well.

No, by Obama's own words, he came by his ideology the same way Kerry and the other Democrats that came from the Viet Nam era had: associating with radical sixties "make love, not war", "war crimes of the US" (don't forget "air raiding villages and bombing civilians " from Obama), and "continuous revolution". The variety of revolution in the US supported by and infiltrated by the KGB. The idea that it was US aggression that fostered aggression from other nations as opposed to the natural tensions of competitive interests.

Without giving into hysteria about Obama being a "communist", what continues to reverberate through our politics are these left over tentacles of that long ago time, echoing out through individuals that Barack has associated with, up to and including Bill Ayers.

Are we done with Viet Nam yet?

Please?

posted by xgenghisx at 02:35 PM

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