Path to War Page #7

and twelve outta eighteen

workin hours everyday,

my head's stuck up that raggedy-ass

little fourth-rate country

that doesn't even have the fight

to save itself.

You get with McNamara,

you know what it's gotta say

and tell Buzzby or Goodwin

we gotta put the music to it, Jack.

Why you up?

You needn't ask me that each time.

Ah, I tried not awake ya.

I got the ringer so low

I can't hear it,

and I got the flashlight.

Maybe you oughta sleep in

that other room you set up.

What happened to that Prime Rib

from the Medicare meetin ?

Is that what you want?

There's a nice chicken left

from the Education Lunch.

I saw em put it away.

Oh, darlin you been so good

about your diet,

I don't see any point

in the middle of the night...

I don't care about that now!

Another heart attack might

be the answer to my problems.

All right,

you stop that kinda talk please,

I worry enough about your health.

I'll fix somethin for you

if you sit down.

All right.

Come on.

All right.

I'm sorry.

Luci met a boy.

When she went on that Chicago trip

with you last week.

What do you mean she met a boy!?

Why didn't I know about this?

That day she went to Milwaukee

and visited the William Feldsteins.

She visited Beth Jenkins at Marquette

and Beth had some friends over,

all the students there

and among them was this...

boy, Patrick Nugent is his name.

He's Catholic.

Luci will only date boys

who are Catholic now

and she calls him Paddy.

Thank you.

So I am payin attention.

He's just tons, mother.

She said to me.

That's the new expression, tons.

Move your elbow.

Thank you.

Yeah. You like the chicken?

You remarked on it.

I didn't know of it.

You might have shown it

to me this mornin .

And woken you again?

Oh.

Like a jack ass in a hailstorm.

I guess I'll just have to hunker up

and take it.

I feel like I'm goin down in a plane,

and I can crash with it and burn up,

or jump and die.

Where we were when I came in,

I, I'd trade back to that.

I'd trade back

to the damn vice-presidency

to get outta this mess.

Clark, the President would like you

and your wife

to join him

at Camp David this weekend.

Oh, thank you, Bill.

Thank the President.

We'd love to,

but we have a prior engagement.

Clark,

is there anyway you can make it?

He's working on an escalation speech?

Has he made up his mind?

I'd say he has

but he's asking for you.

And who else will be there?

Bob McNamara.

Bob.

Mr. and Mrs. McNamara,

I'd like you to meet my friend,

Pat Nugent.

It's an honor to meet you, sir.

Pleasure. My wife, Marg.

Nice to meet you.

You're in National Guard,

where you stationed?

I'll be at Andrews with the 113th,

sir,

but down to San Antonio first

for basic.

Ah, Lackland Air Force Base, sure.

Used to call it Kelly back in 42

when I was goin

around helpin to build an Air Force

in this country.

You know,

we only had a handful of planes

when the Japanese attacked us,

spread all over the country.

Is that right?

And Hap Arnold knew

every one of em by name.

I have some Hap Arnold stories

for you.

Uh, sorry,

we'll leave everything till tomorrow,

we'll talk in the morning.

I look forward to it.

Come on in.

Let the best minds

of our administration

start looking for a way out

and stop looking for a way to win

this unwinnable war,

because it is my considered opinion,

that continuing on that path

will lead us to catastrophe.

Any unbiased jury would

give you your verdict, Clark,

no question.

Good.

But, if it's true what Moyer says;

that Lyndon's in McNamara's pocket...

McNamara has such sway in there.

Truman took your advice over

George Marshalls, for heaven sakes

Kennedy, too.

Yeah,

but Lyndon is another kettle of fish.

Give him a new vision,

Clark. He'll hear you.

Rinaldo, leave it there.

So, these are the numbers.

Now, you will not be held accountable

for anything that has happened up

till this point,

in fact, you will be admired

for the noble attempt

you have made

to honor your predecessor's

commitment a commitment

that has been exploited by

that corrupt and self-destructive

regime in South Vietnam.

The bombing might have worked,

but it hasn't.

And to make it work,

you would have to resort

to unconscionable measures

that would make you a her

to those in this country

you distain and a criminal

to those you have sought

all your life to assist

the young and the poor,

who are the ones

who will have to fight this war.

This, this is not the last inning

in the struggle against Communism.

We must pick those spots

where the stakes are highest for us

and where we hold the cards

that'll give us the greatest

opportunity to prevail.

Ho Chi Minh told the French,

he said, You will kill ten of my men

and I will kill only one of yours,

but in the end, it is you who'll tire.

And they did, and eleven years ago,

at the end they just couldn't do it

any more.

The North Vietnamese lost 500,000

in their war against the French

and they did not tire,

and they will not tire now.

Not after you commit a 100,000,

not after you commit 500,000.

And if you do not win decisively

after a big buildup,

it will be a huge catastrophe.

It will destroy

the American people's faith in you

and the democratic party

and their government

for years to come.

Now, you have always stressed

the economic

and social dimensions

of world problems.

And in this you are unrivaled.

You have a unique opportunity here

to address this problem,

economically and socially.

Not by war, not by killing people,

but by helping them here and there.

This is a year of minimum political

risk for you, Mr. President.

You were elected by the largest

landslide in our history,

the reactionary elements

of this society

will not soon recover

I foresee little erosion

of your prestige and power

if we cut our loses

and get out of Vietnam.

But I foresee nothing

but disaster for you

and this country

if we don't.

If we escalate this war,

I believe we'll ruin us

And I believe we'll ruin you

And all the good you've started to do

Sh*t. It's a hot one already.

You wish you were back in Texas,

Mr. President?

Fellahs, right now I'd rather

be on the moon.

Okay, Bob.

Mr. President,

Clark has suggested that

the stakes aren't there in Vietnam.

This is damn shocking.

Well, I...

Here are the stakes:

Number one. National Security.

If we back down in Vietnam

it will only be a matter of time

before we have to go

in some place else.

Two, the commitment's we've made

and the price of breaking them

Three,

and Our prestige before the world.

Could the stakes be any higher?

To elaborate on Point 1.,

if we withdraw, Laos, Cambodia,

Thailand, Burma will fall,

but the ripple effect

will be far greater.

With Communist agitation increasing

in Africa, India,

even Japan. We will have to give up

some bases.

Pakistan will move closer to China.

Point two,

our pledge is a pillar of peace

in the world

and if we break it,

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