Lynn C. Woolsey: “the first national protest demonstration against the Vietnam War occurred 40 years ago this month. About 100,000…”

“the first national protest demonstration against the Vietnam War occurred 40 years ago this month. About 100,000 Americans came to Washington in October 1967 to protest that foreign policy disaster. Vietnam was a war of choice. We invaded a country that never attacked us. We sent our troops into the middle of a civil war that had nothing to do with us. We went to war in a country whose culture or history we did not understand. We had no exit strategy. We went to war after Congress authorized the President to do so. We found out later that the congressional resolution was based on false information supplied by the administration. The Vietnam War divided our people. It led to the deaths of thousands of American troops and countless innocent civilians. It undermined our moral leadership in the world. We went to war alone. We were isolated from our allies. It was a propaganda victory for our enemies. There is more, Mr. Speaker. We propped up an often corrupt government that couldn't figure out how to rule. We kept waiting for South Vietnamese troops to stand up so we could stand down. The Vietnam War squandered our Nation's treasure. It diverted us from solving our own domestic problems. We said the war was all about spreading freedom. But the people of the country we invaded saw it as a foreign occupation. The occupation went on year after year. It passed from one administration to another.”