Proof President Bush is ignorant of history - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

SeattleUte · 08-29-2006, 10:08 PM

Had he just read and understood the following except from Wikipedia (reproduced here under the "fair use" exception to copyright laws) we might have avoided the Iraq disaster. There were so many other lessons he could have taken from history, but this is the one LBJ himself should have learned from. (I love Wikipedia.) You invade, you make your own karma:

"The UN troops drove the North Koreans back past the 38th parallel. The goal of saving South Korea had been achieved, but because of their military success and the prospect of uniting all of Korea under the government of Syngman Rhee, the Americans — with UN approval — continued into North Korea. This decision marks a crucial shift in US foreign policy at the time. Originally, the defense of South Korea was undertaken as part of a policy of containment. However, the move northwards marked the beginning of a policy known as roll-back. Other issues included the psychological effects of destroying a Communist nation and the liberation of POWs. The UN troops then captured Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, and drove to the Yalu River, which forms North Korea's border with China. This greatly concerned the Chinese, who worried that the UN forces would not stop at the Yalu River. China had warned Western leaders that it would not tolerate the presences of UN forces on its border. Many in the West, including General MacArthur, thought that spreading the war to China would be necessary. However, Truman and the other leaders disagreed, and MacArthur was ordered to be very cautious when approaching the Chinese border. Eventually, MacArthur disregarded these concerns, arguing that since the North Korean troops were being supplied by bases in China, those supply depots should be bombed. However, except on some rare occasions UN bombers remained out of Northeastern China during the war.

[edit]
The Chinese entry (October, 1950)
While the People's Republic of China had issued warnings that they would intervene if any non-South Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel, citing national security interests, Truman regarded the warnings as "a bald attempt to blackmail the UN". On October 8, 1950, the day after American troops crossed the parallel, Chairman Mao issued the order for the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (actually regulars in the Chinese People's Liberation Army) to be moved to the Yalu River, ready to cross."

Archaea · 08-29-2006, 10:23 PM

Proof that he or his advisors are ignorant of, or just plain arrogant in regards to?

UteStar · 08-30-2006, 01:45 PM

I don't think that Bush or his advisors (ok, maybe Bush is) ignorant of history...I think they just don't care.

08-29-2006, 10:08 PM	#1
SeattleUte fairlds.org Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 10,665	Proof President Bush is ignorant of history Had he just read and understood the following except from Wikipedia (reproduced here under the "fair use" exception to copyright laws) we might have avoided the Iraq disaster. There were so many other lessons he could have taken from history, but this is the one LBJ himself should have learned from. (I love Wikipedia.) You invade, you make your own karma: "The UN troops drove the North Koreans back past the 38th parallel. The goal of saving South Korea had been achieved, but because of their military success and the prospect of uniting all of Korea under the government of Syngman Rhee, the Americans — with UN approval — continued into North Korea. This decision marks a crucial shift in US foreign policy at the time. Originally, the defense of South Korea was undertaken as part of a policy of containment. However, the move northwards marked the beginning of a policy known as roll-back. Other issues included the psychological effects of destroying a Communist nation and the liberation of POWs. The UN troops then captured Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, and drove to the Yalu River, which forms North Korea's border with China. This greatly concerned the Chinese, who worried that the UN forces would not stop at the Yalu River. China had warned Western leaders that it would not tolerate the presences of UN forces on its border. Many in the West, including General MacArthur, thought that spreading the war to China would be necessary. However, Truman and the other leaders disagreed, and MacArthur was ordered to be very cautious when approaching the Chinese border. Eventually, MacArthur disregarded these concerns, arguing that since the North Korean troops were being supplied by bases in China, those supply depots should be bombed. However, except on some rare occasions UN bombers remained out of Northeastern China during the war. [edit] The Chinese entry (October, 1950) While the People's Republic of China had issued warnings that they would intervene if any non-South Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel, citing national security interests, Truman regarded the warnings as "a bald attempt to blackmail the UN". On October 8, 1950, the day after American troops crossed the parallel, Chairman Mao issued the order for the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (actually regulars in the Chinese People's Liberation Army) to be moved to the Yalu River, ready to cross." __________________ Interrupt all you like. We're involved in a complicated story here, and not everything is quite what it seems to be. —Paul Auster

08-29-2006, 10:23 PM	#2
Archaea Assistant to the Regional Manager Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: The Orgasmatron Posts: 24,338	Proof that he or his advisors are ignorant of, or just plain arrogant in regards to? __________________ Ἓν οἶδα ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶδα

08-30-2006, 01:45 PM	#3
UteStar Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,817	I don't think that Bush or his advisors (ok, maybe Bush is) ignorant of history...I think they just don't care.