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In his 1995 book, "In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam," former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara wrote:
"(W)e were wrong, terribly wrong. We owe it to future generations to explain why."
In 1965, he knew the war was lost and said so, telling Johnson:
"I don't believe they're ever going to quit. And I don't see that we have any plan for victory - militarily or diplomatically."
At the same, he ordered dramatic escalation, no matter the futility or lawlessness.
Repeatedly, General William Westmoreland told Congress and the US public that progress was being made. On Meet the Press on November 19, 1967, he regurgitated the lie, saying he felt confident "within two years or less....we will be able to phase-down the level of our military effort."
Two months later Tet began, convincing Pentagon commanders and growing numbers of Congress that the war was lost. Nonetheless, US troops stayed until Washington ended its involvement unceremoniously with a humiliating Saigon embassy rooftop pullout.
Will Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya end the same way? Will many thousands more die before they do? Will Americans demand they end now? Thousands of Stop the Machine Washington occupiers:
"pledge(d) that if any US troops, contractors, or mercenaries remain in Afghanistan on Thursday, October 6, 2011....I will commit to being in (Washington's) Freedom Plaza....with others....for as long as I can (to) mak(e) it our Tahrir Square....our Madison, Wisconsin, where we will NONVIOLENTLY resist the corporate machine (and) demand America's resources be invested in human needs and environmental protection instead of war and exploitation."
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