Comparison of Gulf War and Vietnam

                    "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 worlds 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 militarys sole purpose. Therefore, the U. S. Military should be allowed to conduct any war,
                    conflict, or police action that it has been committed to without political interference or control because of the problems
                    and hidden interests which are always present when dealing with polit United States involvement in the Vietnam War
                    actually began in 1950 when the U. S. began to subsidize the French Army in South Vietnam. This involvement continued
                    to escalate throughout the 1950s and into the early 1960s. On August 4, 1964 the Gulf of Tonkin incident occurred in
                    which American Naval Vessels in South Vietnamese waters were fired upon by North Vietnam. On August 5, 1964
                    President Johnson requested a resolution expressing the determination of the United Sates in supporting freedom and in
                    protecting peace in southeast Asia ( Johnson ). On August 7, 1964, in response to the presidential request, Congress
                    authorized President Johnson to take all necessary measures to repel any attack and to prevent aggression against the U.
                    S. in southeast Asia ( United States ). The selective bombing of North Vietnam began immediately in response to this
                    resolution. In March of the following year U. S. troops began to arrive. Although the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
                    specifically stated that we had no military, political, or territorial ambitions in southeast Asia, the interests back home were
                    quite a different story ( Johnson ). The political involvement in Vietnam was about much more than just promised aid to a
                    weak country in order to prevent the spread of communism. It was about money. After all, wars require equipment, guns,
                    tools and machinery. Most of which was produced in the United States. It was about proving Americas commitment to
                    stop communism. Or rather to confine communism in its present boundaries But most of all it was about politics. The
                    presidential political involvement in Vietnam had little to do with Vietnam at all. It was about China for Eisenhower, about
                    Russia for Kennedy, about Washington D.C. for Johnson, and about himself for Nixon ( Post ). The last two of which
                    were the major players in Americas involvement in regards to U. S. Troops being used ( Wittman ). 

                    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 militarys role in Vietnam in respect to the political involvement is seen in the following quote by General
                    Colin Powell, "If youre going to put into something then you owe the armed forces, you owe the American People, you
                    owe just youre own desire to succeed, a clear statement of what political objective youre trying to achieve and then you
                    put the sufficient force to that objective so that you know when youve 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 they thought that they
                    needed to in order to win it ( Baker ). To conclude on the Vietnam War, the political management of the war made it
                    unwinnable. The military was at the mercy of politicians who knew very little about what needed to be done militarily in
                    order to win the war. There is an enormous difference between political judgment and military judgment. This difference is
                    the primary reason for the outcome of the Vietnam War ( Schwarzkopf ). 

                    The Gulf War in the Middle East was almost the exact opposite in respect to the political influence on the war. In respect
                    to the military objective of the war the two are relatively similar. The objective was to liberate a weaker country from their
                    aggressor. The United Nations resolution was explicit in its wording regarding military force in the Persian Gulf. The
                    resolution specifically stated "by all means necessary."( Schwarzkopf ). The President was very aware of the problems
                    with political management of warfare throughout the war. He was very determined to let the military call the shots about
                    how the war was conducted. He made a specific effort to prevent the suggestion that civilians were going to try to run the
                    war ( Baker ). Painful lessons had been learned in the Vietnam War, which was still fresh on the minds of many of those
                    involved in this war ( Baker ). 

                    The military was given full control to use force as they saw fit. Many of the top military leaders had also been involved in
                    the Vietnam War. These men exhibited a very strong never again attitude throughout the planning stages of this war.
                    General Schwarzkopf made the following statement about the proposed bombing of Iraq in regards to the limited
                    bombing in Vietnam, "I had no doubt we would bomb Iraq if I was going to be the Military Commander." He went on to
                    say that it would be absolutely stupid to go into a military campaign against his, Iraqs, forces who had a tremendous
                    advantage on us on the ground, numbers wise. It would be ludicrous not to fight the war in the air as much, if not more,
                    than on the ground ( Schwarzkopf ). The result of the Gulf War in which the military was given control, as we know, was
                    a quick, decisive victory. There were many other factors involved in this than just the military being given control,
                    particularly in contrast to Vietnam, but the military having control played a major part in this victory. In conclusion,
                    although there are some major differences between the two conflicts one fact can be seen very clearly. That is the fact
                    that the military is best suited for conducting wars. Politicians are not. It is not the place of a politicians to be involved in
                    the decision making process in regards to war or military strategy. The White House has significant control in military
                    matters. That control should be used to help the military in achieving its goals as it was in the Gulf War where George
                    Bush said specifically to let the military do its job. The only alternative to this is to use political influence in the same way
                    that it was used in Vietnam. If we do not learn from these lessons that are so obvious in the differences between these
                    two conflicts then we are condemned to repeat the same mistakes. Lets just pray that it does not take the death of
                    another 58,000 of Americas men to learn that the politicians place is not in war but in peace ( Roush ). 

                    Works Cited 

                    "Interview with General Norman Schwarzkopf, Commander-in-Chief, Central Command." Frontline WGBH Educational
                    Foundation. PBS, College Station. 9-10 Jan. 1996. "Interview with Secretary of State, James Baker." Frontline WGBH
                    Educational Foundation. PBS, College Station. 9-10 Jan. 1996. Johnson, Lyndon B. "The Tonkin Gulf Incident."
                    Message to Congress. Aug. 5, 1964. Department of State Bulletin 24 Aug. 1964: n.p. Leyden, Andrew P. "The
                    Operation Desert Storm Debriefing Book" Internet Page. University of Notre Dame Law School. 15 Feb. 1995. Pelland,
                    Paul. E-mail to the author. 25 June 1996. Post, James N. E-mail to the author. 26 June 1996 Roush, Gary. Statistics
                    about the Vietnam War Internet Page. Nov. 1993. United States, Joint Resolution of Congress H. J. RES 1145. Aug. 7,
                    1964. Department of State Bulletin 24 Aug. 1965. Wittman, Sandra M. "Chronology of the Vietnam War." Vietnam:
                    Yesterday and Today Oakton Community College. Skokie, Illinois. 16 May 1996: n.p. 
