KOREA SYNDROME….Matt Yglesias makes a point that’s crossed my mind several times lately: even assuming arguendo that liberals suffer from “Vietnam Syndrome,” conservatives have them beat to hell and gone. As near as I can tell, liberals have pretty much let go of Vietnam. It’s conservatives who continue to be hypersensitive about our loss there.
Anyway, shouldn’t we call it “Korea Syndrome”? After all, that was the original quagmire. For all the deification of Harry Truman that we hear from both sides of the aisle these days, it’s worth remembering that he left office deeply unpopular primarily because we were bogged down in Korea and nobody trusted him to get us out. That’s why Ike got elected: to go to Korea and put an end to the damn thing. Following in Truman’s footsteps might not be the wisest course for a liberal wartime president.
