I'm sure most of you have seen this picture before. What does it say to you?
It says to me that this man, who accomplished so much and worked so hard to make people's lives better, had come to the stark realization that the blood of thousands of innocent people was on his hands.
This photo was taken by the great Jack Kightlinger, who died earlier this year in a car crash. The tape President Johnson was listening to was sent to him by his son-in-law, a Marine Captain named Charles Robb, who would later become Senator Robb. On that tape Capt. Robb spoke about leading Marines who were being killed in battle. President Johnson's daughter said that he would often read her husbands letters home because "my father found them more revealing of the real situation [in Vietnam] than all his Generals' briefings."
I'm sure that President Obama has seen this photo and knows it's story. I can only hope that it has said to him what it says to me...
"Beware all ye who enter here"
If escalation in Afganistan is really what he intends to do, than I certainly hope he has considered the fact that it will become his war and will define the rest of his Presidency. Just as LBJ is defined by his war.
Update:
Thanks for all the recs and the good discussion in the comments. Since I have the bully pulpit for a bit I just want to clarify a couple things.
First of all, for those of you who think this is some sort of insult to Obama, it isn't. Barak Obama is the most intelligent and capable president we've had in decades, and yes of course he's well aware of history. These are my thoughts on where his decision could lead. That is all.
Second, I'm not comparing the war in Afganistan to the war in Vietnam on a strategic or operational basis. Obviously there are huge differences. I'm stating the fact that this escalation will define Obama's Presidency as Vietnam defined LBJ's.
Thanks again for the recs...