Okay, let's clear up the falsehoods.
Before I answer, I’d like to make a point, if anyone cares. Tal can elaborate on this since it was his OP., but I believe his point was to show that there are numerous examples where the US has initiated unilateral military action against other countries. The case in Iraq was hardly unique.
Tal writes:
FDR...led us into World War II.
Technically, FDR did lead us into WWII because he was President at the time. As president, we entered the war with FDR leading us, so the answer to your question is yes, FDR led us into the war. But FDR and the US did not initiate pre-emptive military action against Germany, which is the point. He probably should have, but pressure to stay out of the war since it was none of our business, held sway especially after WWI. In
Message 3 your comment was Germany declared war on the US. That’s true, their pact with Japan didn’t require them to, but they did so anyway, so I wouldn’t consider this an example of unilateral military action on the part of the US.
Tal writes:
Truman...finished that war and started one in Korea
And your previous response:
Jar writes:
North Korea invaded a US ally and the US was part of a UN Police Action.
But it’s still true that North Korea did not attack us. They invaded an ally sure, but they didn’t attack the US. Many of our allies have been invaded over the years without prompt reciprocal action on the part of the US. Many of our European allies were engaged in WWII in 1940, more than one year before the US was attacked by Japan, yet we didn’t consider the actions by Germany to be attacks on the US.
Tal writes:
John F. Kennedy. ..started the Vietnam conflict in 1962..
And your previous response:
Jar writes:
JFK didn't start the Vietnam involvement, that began under Eisenhower when we supported the French in French Indochina.
I see two words here with different meanings. Tal said started the Vietnam conflict, and you say start the Vietnam involvement. These are two entirely different things. The tensions were simmering under Eisenhower in the 1950’s, with our financial support of French action, but significant quantities of troops were not committed, we didn’t invade.
From
Wikipedia , Many consider the 29 year war in Vietnam to be in two parts. The first part French and the second part American. So in a way both statements are correct. JFK didn’t start our involvement in Vietnam, but he did dramatically expand the conflict. By the time Kennedy was assassinated, he had increased the number of U.S. military personal that trained and fought with South Vietnamese troops, from 700 to 15,000. Tal might argue that expanding troop involvement by more than 20 times might constitute starting the conflict. I’m not sure.
It seems there was a gradual increase of military personnel, money, etc., punctuated by bursts of increased military buildups like the 1960-1962 time frame. I don’t know if there is one single date that we can say, It started on this date.
Here is what JFK said about Vietnam on February 7, 1962
quote:
There is a war going on in South Viet Nam. I think that last week there were over 500 killings, assassinations, bombings, and the casualties are high. As I said last week, it is a subterranean war, a guerrilla war, of increasing ferocity. The United States, since the end of the Geneva Accord setting up the South Vietnamese government as an independent government, has been assisting Viet Nam economically to maintain its independence and viability, and also has sent training groups out there, which have been expanded in recent weeks, as the attacks on the government and on the people of South Viet Nam have increased. Source
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