Sunday, July 12, 2009
Men in the mirror
With all the bullshit nonsense surrounding Michael Jackson this week...
Which was so over the top ridiculous it's disgusting in how all of the main stream media has acted and they were all pathetic. I think I tuned it out and did not watch it on purpose. Quite possibly one of the few events I made sure I saw no part of in my life.
But a man who actually was far more important and had more impact on all of our lives died this week in his sleep. Robert McNamara...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_McNamara
Who was present for and had in a hand in policy decisions that were so central to the direction of this country and everything that this country stood for. And at the same time he is perhaps one of the most misunderstood figures who has ever served in government. Definitely without a doubt one of the most brilliant.
Just a few examples of what McNamara was present for and had a hand in:
1. Robert McNamara was working with Curtis Lemay's command when they firebombed Tokyo.
2. His analysis in many ways persuaded Harry Truman to drop the atomic bombs on Japanese cities to end WWII.
3. If you wear a seat belt when you get in your car...it was his research at Ford that led to that development.
4. He was the Secretary of Defense during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
5. If you have ever seen JFK's grave in Arlington National cemetery he was the guy who chose that spot.
6. He implemented the strategy that escalated the Vietnam conflict into a War.
7. He made the World Bank prominent by engaging in issuing loans lifting many countries and their own people out of poverty.
Yet Robert McNamara is often a vilified figure because in many ways he was and is remembered as the face of the Vietnam war. But the Robert McNamara I became familiar with (because I was born after the Vietnam War) was the man who was more reflective. Also one of the few men I have ever seen in government who has been ever willing to say that policy decisions that he implemented were wrong...
I do think McNamara has been in many ways made a scapegoat for Vietnam...
But in all my readings of him and seeing interviews with him context is very important. In that light I see Robert McNamara more like Colin Powell in how he should be remembered for the sake of history.
You know Colin Powell did not want to wage war in Iraq he thought it would be a terrible mistake and disaster. And privately when counseling the President and his advisers he said so. But Powell took the oath as a cabinet member and served the President. He didn't take an oath to serve the country. He served the President. So when the Iraq invasion came up Powell argued against it, said his peace, did everything he could to persuade the President of his position. But when the President made up his mind he fell in line and carried out the policy.
Now right there many people vilified Powell and held him in contempt. But context is everything. What is the meaning of duty? Powell I admire because although he lost the argument he said his peace and argued his view as best he could. But in the end he served the President and he knew that. The President will ultimately be judged by history. Now McNamara was not someone who argued for the Vietnam War to escalate. He wanted to get out of that country all together. But LBJ was convinced of the threat of communism and its spread and wanted a forceful reaction. LBJ wanted the fight and the war.
Now McNamara was the face of that war because he was the guy giving the briefings, giving the information to reporters and the press. He faced the tough questions day after day. It wasn't what he wanted but he agreed to serve the President and carried out the orders he was given. But he also was open to dissent and even hosted Vietnam protesters in his own home in the later years of the war. He did this because his own son was a protester. Now McNamara implemented the policy even though it was LBJ's decision to go to war. So why would he be the man held responsible?
If you ever want to get a closer look at history and the man who runs like a thread through it I strongly encourage everyone to sit down and take the time to Netflix, rent or just watch the movie 'The Fog of War' which you can see in its entirety on Google...
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8653788864462752804&hl=en
The arguments that McNamara has with himself and with the film maker (Errol Morris) are essential arguments but also timeless because they bring forward the most grey questions about war. What makes someone a war criminal? What is the difference between a civil war and a war over ideas?
If you do watch it you will also see that we really did come one day away from all out total nuclear war with Cuba. McNamara was in the room for that too. But more importantly in my view you will see that history might not always judge people fairly. Often the reality is more complicated then we would like to believe.
Which was so over the top ridiculous it's disgusting in how all of the main stream media has acted and they were all pathetic. I think I tuned it out and did not watch it on purpose. Quite possibly one of the few events I made sure I saw no part of in my life.
But a man who actually was far more important and had more impact on all of our lives died this week in his sleep. Robert McNamara...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_McNamara
Who was present for and had in a hand in policy decisions that were so central to the direction of this country and everything that this country stood for. And at the same time he is perhaps one of the most misunderstood figures who has ever served in government. Definitely without a doubt one of the most brilliant.
Just a few examples of what McNamara was present for and had a hand in:
1. Robert McNamara was working with Curtis Lemay's command when they firebombed Tokyo.
2. His analysis in many ways persuaded Harry Truman to drop the atomic bombs on Japanese cities to end WWII.
3. If you wear a seat belt when you get in your car...it was his research at Ford that led to that development.
4. He was the Secretary of Defense during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
5. If you have ever seen JFK's grave in Arlington National cemetery he was the guy who chose that spot.
6. He implemented the strategy that escalated the Vietnam conflict into a War.
7. He made the World Bank prominent by engaging in issuing loans lifting many countries and their own people out of poverty.
Yet Robert McNamara is often a vilified figure because in many ways he was and is remembered as the face of the Vietnam war. But the Robert McNamara I became familiar with (because I was born after the Vietnam War) was the man who was more reflective. Also one of the few men I have ever seen in government who has been ever willing to say that policy decisions that he implemented were wrong...
I do think McNamara has been in many ways made a scapegoat for Vietnam...
But in all my readings of him and seeing interviews with him context is very important. In that light I see Robert McNamara more like Colin Powell in how he should be remembered for the sake of history.
You know Colin Powell did not want to wage war in Iraq he thought it would be a terrible mistake and disaster. And privately when counseling the President and his advisers he said so. But Powell took the oath as a cabinet member and served the President. He didn't take an oath to serve the country. He served the President. So when the Iraq invasion came up Powell argued against it, said his peace, did everything he could to persuade the President of his position. But when the President made up his mind he fell in line and carried out the policy.
Now right there many people vilified Powell and held him in contempt. But context is everything. What is the meaning of duty? Powell I admire because although he lost the argument he said his peace and argued his view as best he could. But in the end he served the President and he knew that. The President will ultimately be judged by history. Now McNamara was not someone who argued for the Vietnam War to escalate. He wanted to get out of that country all together. But LBJ was convinced of the threat of communism and its spread and wanted a forceful reaction. LBJ wanted the fight and the war.
Now McNamara was the face of that war because he was the guy giving the briefings, giving the information to reporters and the press. He faced the tough questions day after day. It wasn't what he wanted but he agreed to serve the President and carried out the orders he was given. But he also was open to dissent and even hosted Vietnam protesters in his own home in the later years of the war. He did this because his own son was a protester. Now McNamara implemented the policy even though it was LBJ's decision to go to war. So why would he be the man held responsible?
If you ever want to get a closer look at history and the man who runs like a thread through it I strongly encourage everyone to sit down and take the time to Netflix, rent or just watch the movie 'The Fog of War' which you can see in its entirety on Google...
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8653788864462752804&hl=en
The arguments that McNamara has with himself and with the film maker (Errol Morris) are essential arguments but also timeless because they bring forward the most grey questions about war. What makes someone a war criminal? What is the difference between a civil war and a war over ideas?
If you do watch it you will also see that we really did come one day away from all out total nuclear war with Cuba. McNamara was in the room for that too. But more importantly in my view you will see that history might not always judge people fairly. Often the reality is more complicated then we would like to believe.
