... "Physician, heal thyself." Luke, 4:23.

>> LBJ got us into VN it took NIXON a republican to get us out.

The war in Indochina started in 1946, shortly after the end of WWII. In 1954, after the defeat of the French, republican President Dwight Eisenhower pledged American support for the Diem government in Vietnam. We began training South Vietnamese troops in 1956 and the first American combat death occurred on July 8, 1959.

Democrat Lyndon Johnson did significantly increase American involvement in Vietnam, but the war continued for five years after republican Richard Nixon became president. Approximately one-third of all American deaths in Vietnam occurred during Nixon's administration.

What it took to "get us out" of Vietnam was not Nixon, but the relentless opposition to the war expressed by many Americans. Among those, of course, was John Kerry.

As for Oliver North, he is most famous for his involvement in the Iran-Contra affair. Perhaps you'll recall that this affair involved the secret and illegal sale by the Reagan (republican) administration of arms to Iran (for use in its war against Iraq). The profits from those sales were then illegally diverted to the support of the Contra rebels attempting to overthrow the democratically elected government of Nicaragua. Both of these actions violated specific acts of the US Congress and were also contrary to UN sanctions in effect at the time.

When the secrecy covering this affair began to come apart, North and his secretary (Fawn Hall) shredded many incriminating documents. North then committed perjury by lying to Congress during its inquiry into the affair.

Ultimately, he was convicted of three felonies for his role in Iran Contra (lying to Congress, destroying an official document and accepting an illegal gratuity). Although the convictions were reversed on appeal, he was not "found innocent" of the charges. Rather, the convictions were reversed on one of those infamous "legal technicalities" which conservatives are so fond of condemning. The case was ultimately dismissed without being retried, but there is no doubt that North actually committed the crimes with which he was charged.

----- jim o\-S