Subject: More Parallels between Iraq and Vietnam Larry, first fact: The U.S. military death tool for 1965, the first year of America’s ground-combat commitment in Vietnam was 1,365. The current U.S. death toll in Iraq is 1,447. Second fact; in September 1967, elections were held in South Vietnam and the White House hailed the 83% turnout as proof that the courageous Vietnamese people desired democracy, the Saigon government was legitimate, and the insurgents were losing. Four month later, the Tet offensive began. Third fact, regarding the alleged liberal “cut-and-run” strategy: Edward Luttwak, senior analyst at the conservative Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, writing in the current issue of Foreign Affairs, calls for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The alternative, he warns, is “indefinite occupation and a steady depletion of American blood and treasure.." KJC