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Vietnam Revisited, With Mackubin T. Owens

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After receiving a query from a young person about why the U.S. didn't aim for victory in Vietnam, Steve Hayward decided to put the question to Mackubin T. Owens, a Marine Corps veteran of Vietnam and long time professor of strategic studies at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Mac has also written for National Review, the New York Post, and numerous other publications, as well as several fine books on war. His many reviews of Vietnam books—both good and bad—can be found at the Claremont Review of Books. Steve and Mac also discuss the portrayal of Vietnam in popular culture (especially the "demonization" movies of the 1970s), as well as the best and worst books about Vietnam.

Host:
Steve Hayward

Discussion (2)

  • colleenb@colleenb

    Another excellent interview with an interesting person. I will look up his review of Ken Burns' Vietnam. I did not watch it just because I did not trust Burns to do anything new. His Roosevelt series, for instance, was good but what about interviewing Amity Shales (I know I'm spelling her name wrong) for a different viewpoint? Same old, same old is not good enough. I want my tax dollars going to someone who really explores these subjects. Thanks again.

  • WalterSobchakEsq@WalterSobchakEsq

    Blame the real villains, the Democrat party. In 1972, the pro-Soviet Wallaceite* wing conducted a coup at the infamous San Francisco convention. The Wallacecites purged the anti-Communist Kennedy wing. When a severe recession and Watergate delivered control of Congress to the Democrats in 1974, and Nixon was forced out of office (and it was his own damn fault), the Democrats turned South Vietnam over to their Communist idols. This set off the catastrophes of the Boat People and Cambodia. The hands of the Democrat party are covered blood. They have never been accused, let alone held to account.

    *The standard bearers of the pro-Soviet wing of the Democrat party were Eleanor Roosevelt and FDR's second Vice-President Henry Wallace. Wallace was not a mastermind, he was weak and stupid. The FDR administration was shot through with Soviet sympathizers and stooges like Alger Hiss and Harry Dexter White.