Part One, Pages 37 through 86 Summary and Analysis

Iraq, Vietnam, and Politics in a Quagmire

John asks Norman how he would compare Vietnam and Iraq. Norman thinks Iraq is bad but Vietnam was much worse. Nearly sixty thousand soldiers were killed and two million Asians. What is comparable is that neither strategy worked. The big difference is that American intervention in Iraq disturbed the two major branches of religion that had been in place for thirteen centuries. Trying to defeat communism in Vietnam was not as culturally disturbing since it had been the policy for only fifty years. Norman fears that an American military presence will lead to unending acts of terrorism for the next century. Kerry should do well since he is a military vet and Bush was only in the National Guard. But he is sure the Republicans will try to...