I read your columns from this whole week today, Glenn, as recent changes in my employment situation (read "I got a new job") have prevented me from reading daily as is my wont.

I am completely amazed by the short or complete lack of memory of the American public - and particularly the media - in regards to the similarity between this and Westmoreland's trip here in 1967, just a few months before the Tet offensive.

It is my understanding that the US won every major military encounter with the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese forces throughout the entire Vietnamese conflict. In much the same way that we have done in Iraq. Our American troops, in their multi million dollar tanks with night vision goggles and the full force of the American military industrial complex behind them, will always win direct battles with military forces.

But WE ARE NOT FIGHTING MILITARY FORCES. And we are losing every battle that counts. The American people don't want us to stay there. The Iraqi people don't want us to stay there. And Bin Laden (remember Bin Laden? this is supposed to be a song about Bin Laden.) is apparently relaxing in some cozy mountain hideaway in Pakistan with a video camera and CNN. He also apparently has a hard time finding reliable source material for his pathetic rants, so maybe he has the interwebs on a global satellite dial up and is relying on conservapedia for his information.

Every time someone invokes the spectre of George McGovern I keep on hoping and praying that someone will get right up in their face and scream loud enough to break some glasses "MCGOVERN WAS RIGHT YOU ASSHOLE!!" McGovern's platform was successfully dubbed "Acid, Amnesty and Abortion" during the 72 campaign, and nobody wanted to vote for that on those terms. Does it matter that he was right?

The salient points:

• repeal of the Rockefeller drug laws and likewise Draconian measures was necessary for a sound drug policy to emerge in this country. Is that even debatable at this point? Mandatory minimums - is there anyone who thinks these are a good idea for drug policy? That this is having any kind of positive effect on our society or in any way reducing drug use?

• people protesting the Vietnam war, up to and including refusing forced induction into the Armed Services (draft dodging) were completely within their rights, as the war had in fact been foisted upon the American public under completely duplicitous terms. Read the Pentagon Papers. the American military and political establishment knew, from the very beginning, that Vietnam was a fucking mess. They just never bothered to tell anyone that when they were fanning the flames of cold war fear with tales of the domino effect.

• Abortion - well, does anyone really think that it was a sign of political suicide to adopt a pro choice position?

McGovern was right, and people didn't listen, and you know what happened? Nixon.

For all those idiots that are trying to spin Vietnam like it was a PR disaster for the US (which it was) - the disaster wasn't Public Relations. The disaster was much more fundamental than that. The problem isn't that we lost a propaganda war; it's that we won it. There are still some people that believe the original propaganda about the damn war.

I think that is the same part of our population that believes that Saddam attacked us on 9/11.

I dunno - sorry for the rant. I just can't help but feel that this all goes farther back than last week, or to Bush v. Gore, or Clinton's semen stain, or Reagan's arming of Iran, or Carter's stunning paralysis.

When was the last time one of our generals was wounded?

There was a US General who was overrun in the very first stages of the Korean Conflict - William Dean - who won the medal of honor for his courage on the battlefield as a general.

Link at signature is to a page about him.

I find neither Petraeus' arguments, behavior, nor testimony convincing or reliable, but your insinuation that Generals are not soldiers, or lack courage because they order men into battle without themselves fighting is somewhat disturbing.

Petraeus deserves some respect for serving as long as he has. Call him a liar, or a politician ... but I repeat myself ... but you can say those things with some respect. MoveOn did not.

It'll take more than one moment of bad spelling and completely missing the point to convince me that this is the original Major - but a boy can dream, can't he?

Again, I don't see the problem here as stemming from the hypocrisy of the Republicans, who want to issue condemnations of points of view that don't agree with theirs.

The problem is with the completely pusillanimous behavior of the Quisling democrats. How did any Democrats allow themselves to go along with the original resolution anyways? I personally felt the ad was in poor taste - did I call for a Congressional Resolution?? WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY THINKING?

My problem is with Harry Reid and Rahm Emanuel, who mouth lip service to ideals I believe in and want to see represented, and HAVE NO FUCKING SPINE WHEN IT COMES TIME TO STAND UP FOR THOSE IDEALS.

I do not want to see a Congressional response to these attacks - but I agree with Glenn - there needs to be a response, and the hypocrisy highlighted.

Lets see more of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1E65G3CsQg

and this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0-wYkob6Kg

and less of this (the latter part, I'm sure you'll see what I mean):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLepLeJEWpE