Political Control of the Military
Political Control of the Military"No new taxes." This is a quote that most all of us remember
from the 1992 presidential election. Along with it we remember that
there were new taxes during that presidents term in office. There are
a myriad of promises made and things done in a presidential election
year that have questionable motives as to whether they are done in the
best interest of the people or in the interests of the presidential
candidate. These hidden interests are one of the biggest problems
with the political aspects of government in modern society. One of
the prime examples of this is the Vietnam War. Although South Vietnam
asked for our help, which we had previously promised, the entire
conflict was managed in order to meet personal political agendas and
to remain politically correct in the world�s eyes rather than to bring
a quick and decisive end to the conflict. This can be seen in the
selective bombing of Hanoi throughout the course of the Vietnam War.
Politically this strategy looked very good. However, militarily it
was ludicrous. War is the one arena in which politicians have no
place. War is the military�s sole purpose. Therefore, the U. S.
Military should be allowed to conduct any war, conflict, or police
action that it has been committed to without political interference or
control because of the problems and hidden interests which are always
present when dealing with polit
United States involvement in the Vietnam War actually began in
1950 when the U. S. began to subsidize the French Army in South
Vietnam. This involvement continued to escalate throughout the 1950�s
and into the early 1960�s. On August 4, 1964 the Gulf of Tonkin
incident occurred in which American Naval Vessels in South Vietnamese
waters were fired upon by North Vietnam. On August 5, 1964 President
Johnson requested a resolution expressing the determination of the
United Sates in supporting freedom and in protecting peace in
southeast Asia ( Johnson ). On August 7, 1964, in response to the
presidential request, Congress authorized President Johnson to take
all necessary measures to repel any attack and to prevent aggression
against the U. S. in southeast Asia ( United States ). The selective
bombing of North Vietnam began immediately in response to this
resolution. In March of the following year U. S. troops began to
arrive.
Although the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution specifically stated
that we had no military, political, or territorial ambitions in
southeast Asia, the interests back home were quite a different story
( Johnson ). The political involvement in Vietnam was about much more
than just promised aid to a weak country in order to prevent the
spread of communism. It was about money. After all,...
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