As I’m sure you know (geeks :D), Spock originally said, “Only Nixon could go to China”. There’s a lot of truth to that saying - only a person with proven credentials as an adversary can bring his people to make peace with an old enemy. Besides Nixon, Rabin springs to mind.
But now we have that “pinko, draft-dodging, prostesting while our boys were dying [insert insult here]” Clinton going to Vietnam - not to mention earlier ending the embargo, establishing diplomatic relations, etc.
Does this belie the old Vulcan saying? Or are we really over the Vietnam War? Or is Clinton that good?
First, to avoid letting this turn into a Star Trek thread (much as I love 'em), Spock was just repeating an Earth quote, and attributing it to Vulcan as a form of dry humor.
I think the “Only Nixon could go to China” quote wasn’t saying that Nixon was the right guy because he’d been anti-communist all his life, but that he was the right guy because the opportunity came while he was in the Oval Office.
Clinton could go to Vietnam because he was available now. I don’t think there’s any great significance to be assigned to his past in this.
And the winner of the “First to go to Vietnam” pool is …
Bill Clinton!
Sorry, all of you who had GW Bush, Dick Cheney, Dan Quayle, Rush Limbaugh, Trent Lott, Dick Armey, Tom DeLay, George Will, or Pat Buchanan. Better luck next time, and thanks for playing!
I disagree. The reason Nixon could go, was because he was so anti-communist that nobody could accuse him of being a communist himself. This is pretty well accepted as the meaning of that saying. I’m actually surprised you would suggest something different.
How about “Anyone could go to Vietnam now, because the cold war is over, and communism is no longer regarded as a substantial threat. Such was not the case when Nixon went to China.”
i was in the 1st draft lottery. it was big fun watching idiots play roulette with my life. i went to catholic schools but decided i was an agnostic at 12. you think i give a damn about a catholic government in a buddhist country? my number came up 348. GOOD BYE VIETNAM!
just got a book recently:
rule by SECRECY by Jim Marrs
tells another side of our wars, including vietnam. did Roosevelt help provoke the japanese into attacking pearl harbor? curious no air craft carriers were there, only battle ships of questionable value. mitchel proved planes could sink battleships so aircraft carriers were what mattered.
