This is a history lesson, but imo the flaw is in its treatment accorded LBJ as a victim of the wily Dick Nixon in the 1968 sabotage of “peace negotiations” involving Vietnam.
It is a strange revision of history to have LBJ portrayed as a victim of his conflict in Vietnam.
From Thom’s text: “in 1968, when President Lyndon Johnson was desperately trying to end the Vietnam War.” Those, like myself, who lived during those years, read this and differ.
LBJ and the US MIC pushed this country into Vietnam after the 1964 election, and the tragic escalation in 1965 produced the fiasco of an undeclared war with a half-million US troops in Vietnam.
Already by early 1966 it was a publicly debated debacle, and in October, 1966, Vermont’s Senator George Aiken stated in the Senate, “Let’s declare victory and go home.”
Months later, April, 1967, Dr. King put his life on the line to beg LBJ to return to his “War on Poverty” and stop his war in Vietnam. “The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop must be ours.” His stand cost him his life.
LBJ squandered human lives, earthly resources, and common sense advice for four years, so it is difficult to summon much sympathy for him.
Revisionist history on LBJ is a current thing, I guess. Late in the primary campaign, Bernie also had kind remarks toward LBJ, albeit primarily on his establishing Medicare. As with Thom, this reverence of LBJ appears to be a litmus teat on fealty to the Democratic Party. Remembering history, it’s a lot to ask of a person.