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2008-02-02 Home Front: WoT

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Posted by Bobby 2008-02-02 12:08|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 Tet was the wakeup for a very young man, myself that what today is called the Main Stream Media [MSM] had become as much a threat as a defender of the republic. That is when Walter Cronkite who up till then I had admired pronounced the effort in Vietnam futile.

For I understood Cronkite had been there in Europe in December 1944 when the 'defeated' Germans launched a surprise offensive in the Ardennes of Belgium. The war was about to be over. The Germans were on the run. Or so our political and military leaders let the American public believe. Our intelligence services detected no action upon the enemy's part to commit itself to this massive assault. The Germans had resorted to hand carried communications in preparation, thus nullifying Ultra, the Allied decryption efforts. The bitter woods of southern Belgium would see the virtual destruction of the 106th US Infantry Division and the largest surrender of American forces since the Philippines in 1942 . It would result in 81,000 KIA casualties, greater than the entire Vietnam War. The fighting went on for nearly two months on the ground the Germans would contest. In the end, the enemy gained no ground and suffered crippling destruction of manpower and equipment. No where in the record of those events have I found where Mr. Cronkite, as a reporter in theater, make the same evaluation of the American effort there as he would concerning Tet and the work in Vietnam. Yet the military results of both offensives upon the enemy were the same. However, the military loses to the Americans and its allies in both battles were substantially less in the second. Here was a man who was an 'authoritative' observer to both acts, yet his reporting was without question compromised by personal bias over facts.

As more time passes and more historians of the classical school with far less bias and far more critical analytical skill come to write the history of the 20th Century, the judgment upon the popular chroniclers of contemporary news will be adjudged and that judgment is likely not one they will be proud of. .

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-02-02 13:10|| 2008-02-02 13:10|| Front Page Top

#2 Despite Americas impressive tactical victories in the aftermath of the original attacks, the Tet Offensive forever altered the course of the Vietnam War. Although the Tet Offensive would serve as a major blow in the court of American public opinion...

Geez, Harry. Think that might be an important history lesson to remember?

Posted by tu3031 2008-02-02 14:59|| 2008-02-02 14:59|| Front Page Top

#3 Aùerica was not defeated in Vietnam but in the media.

While we are at it: in the second half of the forties the Communists made a conceted effort to take over Hollywood for its role as shaper of public opinion. However they wereclumsy enough to be detected, create an opposition (Regan didn't like to be threatened being throwed acid in the face) and after a series of iron bar fights between the Comunist actors and scenarists aginst the others it ended with the so called Witch Hunt.

Now if the Communists tried to infiltrate Holywood wouln't have been logical to infiltrate the MSM as a much more powerful level on American public opinion?

Posted by JFM">JFM 2008-02-02 15:43|| 2008-02-02 15:43|| Front Page Top

#4 Actually, P2k, there was quite a bit of intelligence that indicated a German offensive in the Ardennes but it was dismissed by high command.

Posted by Deacon Blues">Deacon Blues 2008-02-02 17:34|| 2008-02-02 17:34|| Front Page Top

#5 Hairy is in deep do-do with the locals. Now he is kissing butt to save his own.

Posted by www 2008-02-02 17:56|| 2008-02-02 17:56|| Front Page Top

#6 Fascinating how, after dwelling so lovingly on military accomplishments of the veterans he stood up to honour, he gives a one-sentence gloss of the American public's opinion change. He'll get an interesting response to his next visit to a VFW post.

Posted by trailing wife 2008-02-02 18:14|| 2008-02-02 18:14|| Front Page Top

#7 TW dearest, off topic, who were you refering to on this thread?

Posted by RD">RD 2008-02-02 18:30|| 2008-02-02 18:30|| Front Page Top

23:39 trailing wife
23:04 Junior Assistant Sock Puppet of Doom
23:03 trailing wife
22:58 Junior Assistant Sock Puppet of Doom
22:37 Anonymoose
22:29 Pappy
22:26 Junior Assistant Sock Puppet of Doom
22:22 Redneck Jim
22:14 Glinesing Ghibelline6773
22:11 DMFD
22:05 Barbara Skolaut
21:58 Glinesing Ghibelline6773
21:55 Barbara Skolaut
21:50 trailing wife
21:43 jds
21:38 Broadhead6
21:32 lotp
21:24 trailing wife
21:23 Old Patriot
21:21 twobyfour
21:14 crosspatch
21:11 trailing wife
21:02 trailing wife
21:02 Lone Ranger