Fog of War

We've seen numerous depictions about the fighting and violence within the Vietnam War from both an American and a Vietnamese point of view. But for the first time, through Fog of War, we are introduced to the other side of the problem... The documentary reveals the political battle waging on back home in America. Through McNamara, we are informed about the complex and delicate situation taking place within the White House at the time.

McNamara fills us in with a broad range of information dating all the way back to World War I. We learn about the ideals of Woodrow Wilson, the threat of nuclear war, Kennedy's assassination, and Johnson's term as president. All of which lead to the very complicated situation within Vietnam at the time. Before the documentary we have not seen a piece of Rhetoric that involves all these key aspects. I almost forgot how important the Cold War and the impending destruction of "the bomb" was to the situation. Although Johnson is notorious for his role in the Vietnam War, it is easy to overlook the much worse damage that would have ensued if Goldwater (who was equally as notorious for his love for the atom bomb) would've taken the presidency. There were many deaths... both the Vietnamese and American... but the numbers would have been much higher if we had chosen to simply bomb. McNamara points out in the beginning of the film that the government's perception that Vietnam was fighting only for the Chinese and Russian governments (rather then for their independence) proved to be a major reason for America's involvement. The extreme fear of communism nations played a HUGE part of the war and it was interesting to see a documentary that included that.