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Politics : Actual left/right wing discussion
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To: TimF who wrote (3202)10/20/2006 7:02:53 AM
From: DuckTapeSunroof  Read Replies (1) of 10087
 
"The Vietcong was smashed at Tet."

'Smashed' is a relative term but, yes, Vietcong's ability for set-piece battle was, undoubtedly, severely degraded.

Par for the course --- the North often treated the southern rebels as disposable 'cannon fodder'....

"The war continued because North Vietnam continued to attack."

Duh! That's a bit like belaboring the obvious!

(As the war would have, no doubt, for further generations... if necessary. Nationalism [& anti-Colonialism] being perhaps the strongest motivating political forces of the 20th. Century....)

"There really is no force like the NVA in this war."

Correct: there are at least *three* major and differing sides among the locals... Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds --- to name just the most populous 'factions'. (This is one clear difference.)

"But I don't think the enemy forces in Iraq would try something like Tet."

I agree. Because for *any* ONE faction to expose itself by going 'all out' against the foreigners, would weaken itself too much vs. it's local enemies.

Never-the-less, it remains quite 'possible' for Sunni and Shiite factions to *both* take pot shots at occupying forces, as long as we remain interposed between them. (And they will CERTAINLY use our presence to blame all of their problems and their own short-comings on, as an EXCUSE.)

A 'rope-a-dope' strategy makes more sense for the 'insurgents'.
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