"And it's one, two, three, what are we fightin' for?"

Woodrow Wilson won reelection as the 28th President of the United States in November 1916. With war raging in Europe, Wilson campaigned on a neutrality platform as the man who "kept us out of war."

Five months later, he asked and received from Congress a declaration of war on Germany.

Franklin Roosevelt won reelection as 32nd President of the United States in November 1940. With war raging in Europe, Roosevelt campaigned on a neutrality platform saying that he "would not send American boys into any foreign wars."

Thirteen months later, he asked and received from Congress a declaration of war on Germany.

Lyndon Johnson won election as the 36th President of the United States in November 1964 (he was not technically reelected as he was completing the first term of the assassinated President John Kennedy.) He pledged that he would not commit "American boys to fighting a war that...ought to be fought by the boys of Asia..."

Days later, he asked and received from Congress approval for the Gulf of Tonkin resolution which, in effect, began the War in Vietnam.

Richard M. Nixon won election as the 37 President of the United States in 1968. With war raging in Vietnam, he pledged that he a had a "secret plan" to end it. He of course could not tell us what the "secret plan" was or it would not have been secret anymore.

The war continued for another seven years during which time - INCREDIBLY - he was reelected.

George W. Bush won election as the 43rd President of the United States in 2000. Openly critical of Clinton administration's efforts in Somalia and the Balkans, he pledged that United States troops will never "be used for what's called nation-building" during a Bush administration (you just can't make this stuff up!)

Months later, with Congressional approval, he invaded Afghanistan and subsequently Iraq and has mismanaged nation-building in both countries ever since. Let’s just put aside that 17 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Egyptian and Saudi and that there were no weapons of mass destruction. We now know that there never was an attack in the Gulf of Tonkin that night either.
Incidentally, not one of these countries - Germany, Vietnam, Afghanistan, or Iraq, ever directly attacked the United States (in fairness to FDR, I don't begrudge his declaration of war on Japan which came three days prior to the declaration of war against Germany.)

So what?

Next month, I will participate in the American democratic process for the first time in eight years (I have heretofore been a resident of the unrepresented District of Columbia - a blog for another day.) Let's pretend that I have the opportunity to choose between the three presidential contenders which, of course given their party differences, I don't.

I am a one issue voter. My issue is war. I will not vote for the candidate(s) who gets us into war or promises to keep us there. I will vote for the candidate(s) who promises to get us out (for this very reason, I once voted for Richard Nixon two months after I returned from Vietnam.) All things being equal, I will always vote a veteran, especially one who served in harm's way. McCain would have had my vote in 2000 had he not been slimed out of the race. Kerry got my vote in 2004 despite being slimed out of the race.

I will never vote for a draft dodger or anyone who actively tried to avoid Vietnam service. Thereby, I voted for neither Clinton ("the famous draft board letter") nor Bush (the Texas Air National Guard was the preeminent Vietnam dodge of the 1960's.)

By my own rules, however, I can no longer vote for McCain, given his support of the war, nor can I vote for Clinton given her own vote in favor of entering the war. That leaves Obama. He seems like a good fellow and he meets my criteria.

All that being said, Wilson, Roosevelt, Johnson, Nixon, and Bush II have all demonstrated that "words", in the lexicon of my former wife, "are just words." On this score, she is, sadly, correct.

History and the Constitution teach us that foreign policy (including war) is about the only arena in which an American President has the leverage to do whatever he pleases. All domestic issues (education, health care, transportation, social security, etc) are so bound, tied and regulated that, no matter what promises are made, the machinery of government will simply slog along through them all. But foreign policy? War? Now those are places where a President can make his mark with little interference from the electorate or a helpless Congress.

History has taught us that those Presidents who pledged to keep us from getting into a war haven't (Wilson, Roosevelt, Johnson, Nixon, and Bush II) and he who pledged to get us out of war didn't (Nixon.)

Thank you for visiting.

Jack

Editor's Note: Boomers will recognize this blog's title as coming from Country Joe McDonald's "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag." Since the 60's Joe McDonald has been a tireless and selfless supporter of Vietnam Veterans issues for which we owe an enormous debt. Thanks Joe, and best wishes to the Fish.