Echoes of Saigon.

• Author: Peters, Charles
• Position: TILTING at windmills - Brief article

There is a strong case to be made for Obama's Afghan policy. Pulling out--or failing to escalate--involves real risks. The case for escalation in Vietnam appeared even stronger in July 1965 with Lyndon Johnson enjoying much more congressional and public support than Obama does now. But, however good the arguments for a policy are, the question remains: Will it work? And to that the answer in 1965 was no, just as is my answer today.

If we could not create an effective South Vietnamese army after more than a decade of a greater effort than Obama now plans in Afghanistan, how can we expect to train ah effective Afghan security force by July 203.1 or any reasonable time thereafter? So far our training of Afghan soldiers has been a farce. An American trainer told the New York Times "[an Afghan] soldier does not have to master any task prior to graduating [from training]. Attendance equals graduation."

During the Vietnam War, we made repeated attempts--including a CIA-sponsored coup--to reform...