marco:
The Khmer Rouge was a direct result of Nixon's bombing the Ho Chi Minh Trail, no argument. Uncle Ho was not an angel either, but what does that have to do with our going to Vietnam?

Mark:
Very true. We slaughtered German civilians just as we did the Japanese; the firebombings of Dresden slaughtered many German civilians. I disagree that he pissed on the veterans of Vietnam. The war was not justified and we should never have been there; however, I respect and thank the veterans for doing what they did--it is not the fault of the average soldier, it is the fault of the general officers and civilian commanders.

To all:
Ultimately, no one, and I mean no one has clean hands. One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. Saddam Hussein was a great, pro-Western leader until the Saud royal family decided that his invasion of Kuwait was too much of a threat to their rule. Hell, Osama bin Laden was our buddy when he was fighting the evil Soviets in Afghanistan.

FDR, Truman, McArthur all have blood on their hands for what they did during WWII. The Japanese behaved horribly toward those they "liberated." The Germans were guilty of allowing Hitler to do what he did (trivia: The German soldiers had belt buckles that read "Gott Mit Us" translated as "God is with us"). Stalin and Pol Pot were megalomaniacs. Mao is not innocent, but Chiang Kai-shek was far from an angel. Uncle Ho Chi Minh is likewise not an angel, but neither were President Diem, the French, or the Americans.

As I said, in this game, there are no innocents (though there are many innocent victims). Everyone has dirty hands; most people just justify what THEIR leaders did as being "good" and "moral" and "just."

For the record, I don't hate the US. I am ashamed of many of our actions, and I have hope that we will do better in the future.

Lay your own path beat your own drum. Stand tall walk with pride you are a human being. They can only control you if you let them. Think about that for a moment. Give it a couple weeks. People will look at you in a different light and will ask you. There is something different about you. You know what it is you woke up that is all. You will be amazed what you notice now.

Good luck to all of US. Bob Haze

From the 17th-18th century, has anyone counted the number of men, women, children, sacrificed on the altars of the gods of national interest, whatever those interests are called, whatever flag is waved in the face? (I choose those centuries because that's when the United States of America, beacon to the world of that light most unequivocally symbolized and manifested at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was getting its start, at the expense of . . . how many millions of the indigenous population and black Africans?)

Come, now! Is there any victor in war, really, other than death? Isn't death what we really celebrate, when we say "yes!" to war? Stoking the flames for the next round of human sacrifice is so much more gratifying than just about anything else one can think of, except perhaps movies about the same.

Friends, there's no such thing as a "good war." What is war good for? For Death itself. But it’s most inimical to any life that can be characterized as “human.”

Better we call a time out, and everyone read or re-read Simone Weil's "The Iliad, a Poem of Force." Then bring back fresh comments next week maybe.

From the 17th-18th century, has anyone counted the number of men, women, children, sacrificed on the altars of the gods of national interest, whatever those interests are called, whatever flag is waved in the face? (I choose those centuries because that's when the United States of America, beacon of that light to the world most clearly manifested at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was getting its start, at the expense of . . . how many millions of the indigenous population and black Africans?)

Come, now! Is there any victor in war, really, other than death? Isn't death what we really celebrate, when we say "yes!" to war?

Friends, there's no such thing as a "good war," except for Death itself. Better we call a time out, and everyone read or re-read Simone Weil's "The Iliad, a Poem of Force." Then bring back fresh comments next week maybe.

I think I know exactly what you meant by your article. McNamara erased the good will and the good name of America by the Vietnam fiasco. But I would say further, that Truman wrecked the good name of America, by dropping h bombs on civilian populations in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The nuclear option destroyed American credibility. The only way to restore America is to ban all nuclear armaments throughout the world, and to make it a crime against humanity to build these abominable bombs.