We have seen this in recent times, such as with President George W. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq. But the classic example was Lyndon Johnson’s experience with Vietnam.
Fifty years ago, when the 89th Congress convened in January 1965 following Johnson’s landslide election victory against Sen. Barry Goldwater, LBJ was at the height of his political power.
Liberal Democrats commanded huge majorities in both the House and Senate. The coalition of southern Democrats and Republicans had lost much of their power. Conservative Republicans were marginalized since nobody wanted to look anything like a protégé of Barry Goldwater.
With the backing of a mass civil rights movement and organized labor, the White House was determined to push forward a huge domestic agenda ranging from Medicare to more anti-poverty programs to voting rights. Bills would soon be passing at a breathtaking pace as the nation saw Washington remake the social contract.
But in these very same months, Johnson intensified America’s involvement in the war against communism in Vietnam — a war that would prove to be disastrous, devastating and arguably the aspect of his presidency that continues to define him more than anything else.
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Presidents are complex beings. The good and bad are both president at same moments of their career. Sometimes the very qualities that allow them to make great breakthroughs in public policy, that greatly improve the condition of the country, also allow them to implement decisions that become highly destructive.
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