[lbo-talk] Majority Of Republicans Think Obama Didn't

[Chris Doss]

This whole prestige thing is completely different from the assertion that the elite thought that a noncapitalist Vietnam would pose a dire threat to the world capitalist system (a category I don't think they even had).
 

----- Original Message ----
From: Joanna <123hop at comcast.net>
To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org
Sent: Fri, November 27, 2009 8:51:03 AM
Subject: [lbo-talk] Majority Of Republicans Think Obama Didn't

James writes:

"I think you misread the situation. In the abstract, the elite had no particular reason to want a war. But once the conflict formed up, it was impossible for them to get out of without losing prestige. Why was prestige such a precious commodity? Because they are an elite, and a successful challenge was impossible. Of course they had no desire to govern Vietnam directly, or to occupy it in perpetuity. But above all, they had to defeat the challenger."

Yes, and the same could be said of Afghanistan. If anyone on this list has not read Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant," now's the time.

Joanna

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