Path to War

An emotional response to Path to War. I cried, or expressed deep feelings of sadness, in this movie just as much as any other movie from the semester. Watching Johnson’s presidency crumble was almost tantamount to the emotions evoked when you watch the actual violence on the ground in Vietnam. It is very interesting and very depressing to study Johnson’s presidency. He was a leader with ambitious domestic policy goals and initial successes that were stifled by the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Often times his means to accomplish program objectives were more manipulative and harsh than I prefer, but I still admire his tireless efforts to improve civil rights and education and fight against poverty. As we witnessed one portrayal of the decisions that had such devastating impacts, it was frustrating to know the outcome and not be able to shout at them through the freaking glass (TV). Path to War depicts Johnson on such a personal level that you can not help but empathize. At the same time, it is irritating and almost hard to understand why he was so heavily influenced by McNamara when there were obviously really intelligent, peace-mined men surrounding him. Nonetheless, the circumstances were depressing and so is the thought of all that could have come from Johnson’s programs and never did. It is beneficial to investigate the Vietnam War from all angles. Often times when we predominantly focus on the physical destruction of the war, it is easy to forget the people behind it and the tribulations they had to go through. It makes one wonder how they might have acted during such arduous times.