On The Mistakes Of War: ROBERT MCNAMARA

ROBERT MCNAMARA, architect of the Vietnam War, talks about the Persian Gulf conflict -- and, for the first time, about the one he can't forget

Q. Is the war in the gulf moving out of control?

A. No military operation can be totally under control, especially one with high-tech weapons. That's the lesson of the Cuban missile crisis and Vietnam. Is this situation under control? The answer is "Yes, but." Bush and Powell and Cheney are doing a superb job, but I tell you Jesus Christ himself can't keep one of these things under control.

Q. How did events get out of control in Vietnam?

A. It's not just events moving out of control. It's a slightly different expression of somewhat the same thing, which is...

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