Deja Vu all over again

The year was 1967; we now know that is the year that Robert McNamara told President Lyndon Johnson the Vietnam war could not be won. The war continued for years after that and thousands died. Waveflux reminds what else happened in 1967.

U.S. Encouraged by Vietnam Vote:
Officials Cite 83% Turnout Despite Vietcong Terror

by Peter Grose, Special to the New York Times (9/4/1967)

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3-- United States officials were surprised and heartened today at the size of turnout in South Vietnam's presidential election despite a Vietcong terrorist campaign to disrupt the voting.

According to reports from Saigon, 83 per cent of the 5.85 million registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. Many of them risked reprisals threatened by the Vietcong.

The size of the popular vote and the inability of the Vietcong to destroy the election machinery were the two salient facts in a preliminary assessment of the nation election based on the incomplete returns reaching here. [...]

A successful election has long been seen as the keystone in President Johnson's policy of encouraging the growth of constitutional processes in South Vietnam. The election was the culmination of a constitutional development that began in January, 1966, to which President Johnson gave his personal commitment when he met Premier Ky and General Thieu, the chief of state, in Honolulu in February.

Does that sound familiar, it should. George W. Bush, January 2005.

Today the people of Iraq have spoken to the world, and the world is hearing the voice of freedom from the center of the Middle East.
In great numbers and under great risk, Iraqis have shown their commitment to democracy. By participating in free elections, the Iraqi people have firmly rejected the anti-democratic ideology of the terrorists. They have refused to be intimidated by thugs and assassins.

Go over to Waveflux and check out the rest and look at the comments. As we saw with the Swift Boat Liars last summer there are still a lot of folks fighting the Vietnam war and blaming the wrong people for the defeat.
In the comments section of the previous post MEJ's own Bill in DC tells me I should be more positive about the election. As Yogi Berra said; Deja Vu all over again, that's what I see.