Comparison of Vietnam with Iraq

Comparison of Vietnam with Iraq:
In Light of George Bush's Claim that There is no Analogy Between the Two
by
John J. Fitzgerald

"QUESTION: Mr. President, ... some people are comparing Iraq to Vietnam and talking about a quagmire. ... How do you answer the Vietnam comparison?
BUSH: I think the analogy is false. I also happen to think that analogy sends the wrong message to our troops and sends the wrong message to the enemy."

George W. Bush Press Conference, 13 April, 2004

Analogy is the comparison of two pairs which have the same relationship. The key is to ascertain the relationship between the first so you can choose the correct second pair. Part to whole, opposites, results of -- are types of relationships you should find.
Example:
hot is to cold as fire is to ice OR   hot: cold:: fire: ice
Cf.  similarity, likeness, parallel, comparable

Nation:   Vietnam:           Iraq:

Continent:                   Asia (South east)  Asia (South west)

Previous Empire:            
          French (Indo-China) British (since WWI)
          earlier (China)    earlier (Ottoman)

Language: Vietnamese         Arabic, and others

Religion(s):                 Buddhist  Islam (Shia and Sunni)
          Confucian          Secular
          Secular
          Christian
          (Roman Catholic)

Political Party:            
          Communist          Baathist (socialist)

Political Leader:           
          Ho Chi Minh        Saddam Hussein

American Choice
for Political Leader:       
          Ngo Dinh Diem      Saddam Hussein
          (until 1963)       (until 1990)
          --assorted generals--
          Nguyen Van Thieu   Ahmad Chalabi
          (until 1975)       Iyad Allawi
                             Nouri al-Maliki (2006)

CIA employment:             
          OSS and Ho in WW2  CIA and Saddam in 1980's
          USA at war with Japan   USA hostile to Iran

Principal Resource:         
          Rice               Oil and sand
          Cheap labor        Cheap labor
                             Highly educated population

Strategic Value:            
          USA base on mainland    USA base for domination
          of Southeast Asia  of Persian Gulf region

Dead Americans:             
          58,000(total)      2, 700+ and climbing

Dead “enemies”:           
          millions           one hundred thousand (+ -)

Popular phrases:            
          “hearts and minds”    “shock and awe”
          “light at the end of   “mission accomplished”
            the tunnel”    
                             “Weapons of Mass
          “Domino Theory”     Destruction”
          “Anti-communism”  “Anti-terrorism”

Costs:    billions of dollars billions of dollars

Damage to country:          
          massive bombing    massive (precision?)  
                                                         bombing      

Civilian casualties:        
          millions           600,000 + - (est.)  (WSJ, 11 Oct. ’06)

Principal “enemy” tactic: 
          guerrilla warfare  guerrilla warfare

USA tactic:                  high tech warfare $$    high tech warfare $$

US Armed Forces:            
          initially all volunteers     initially all volunteers
                             (to date)
          (poor and minorities)   (poor and minorities)
          [eventually a conscript
          army]

US homefront:               
          initial support    initial support w/protests
          eventual rejection

Media coverage:             
          uncensored         censored

English speaking:           
          little to none     some
          (French)

Americans who                    
can speak native
language:                    miniscule miniscule

Support for US
from UN: 
          No                 No

Opposition to US
from Europe:                
          Yes                Yes

Impact on
US economy:                 
          -Increased deficits -Increased deficits
          -weak dollar       -weak dollar
          -Good for military- -Good for military-
          industrial complex industrial complex
          -neglect of domestic    -neglect of domestic
          issues             issues                 

Legal/moral issues:         
          Contested/doubtful Contested/doubtful
          Just war?          Just war?
          Necessity?         Necessity?

Impact on US
Presidency:                 
          JFK assassinated   Bush runs for re-election
          LBJ quits          Bush wins re-election
          Nixon resigns      2006 Mid-term elections?
          (Watergate)       
          Ford defeated for
          re-election