General Zinni on Sixty Minutes

On 30 May 2004 19:03:37 GMT, (WalterM140) wrote:

Containment was an outgrowth of George F. Kennan's advice to Truman (a
Dem.), implemented by Eisenhower continuation of the policies of
military anti-Communist alliances with Dulles (Reps), then sustained
by JFK/LBJ (Dems) and furthered
by Nixon (Rep.) Hard to ascribe the
policy to "mostly Democratic presidents".

Dulles was president? See, that's just -flat- dishonest on your part.

You seem to be having a reading comprehension problem which may be the
cause of your poor view of history--Kennan wasn't a president either.
Kennan was an advisor to Truman. Dulles was the Sec/State for
Eisenhower.

Ummmm....Lessee. Truman, JFK and LBJ. That's three. Eisenhower and Nixon --
that seems to be two.

So now 3-to-2 equals "mostly Democratic presidents"? Let's add Ford
(R) (very short term, but no change in policy) then Carter (D), then
Reagan (R) and we get 4-to-4.

Throw in Carter and Reagan and it's still 4 to 3. I'd say -- I like
precision-- that 4 is bigger than 3.

Your history is failing you again. But, I digress. The fact of the
matter is that US containment policy was consistent from Truman
through the collapse of the SU in 1989. To ascribe it to one party or
the other is definitely revisionist.

But, that approach to defense and policies on disarmament varied over
time. Reagan's policy of strong defense and "trust but verify" did
more to defeat the SU than Carter's unilateral disarmament efforts.

This is it, Ed? Your best shot? No wonder people wail about the state of
American edcuation.



Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8