The death of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara at age 93 has reopened the debate on his role, first as architect for the Vietnam War, and then later in apologizing for it with his 1995 book "In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam." Since a hawk with a conscience is a rare commodity, McNamara deserves the attention he is getting.
One of his post-Vietnam "lessons" was the need to "empathize" with the alleged enemy — to realize that they are humans like we are with legitimate desires and hopes. It is a very worthy goal. But how do you do that once the shooting begins and bombs begin to to fall?
The hawks and their well-subsidized camp followers in the think tanks, universities and media take over, dragging public opinion behind them. The enemy is dehumanized. McNamara is said to have realized the futility of the Vietnam War as early as 1967 — before he moved to head the World Bank (April 1968). But that did not stop the war from continuing another eight years, with even more dreadful killing and bombing.
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