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Obama compares Ho Chi Minh with the founding fathers

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Fox News takes a dim view of his statements:

“...we discussed the fact that Ho Chi Minh was actually inspired by the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and the words of Thomas Jefferson.”

-- President Obama talking to reporters alongside Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang.
It may come as some unwelcome news to the families of the nearly 60,000 Americans who died in the Vietnam War that the whole thing was just a misunderstanding.


Mother Jones takes a different view:

At the conclusion of the meeting, President Sang shared with me a copy of a letter sent by Ho Chi Minh to Harry Truman. And we discussed the fact that Ho Chi Minh was actually inspired by the US Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and the words of Thomas Jefferson. Ho Chi Minh talks about his interest in cooperation with the United States. And President Sang indicated that even if it's 67 years later, it's good that we're still making progress.

(Ho Chi Minh was a Vietnamese communist and nationalist revolutionary leader who died in 1969. He fought alongside Allied forces during World War II, but fought American forces during the Vietnam War.)
Some conservatives have chosen to freak out about that second sentence. For instance, here's former tea party congressman Allen West:

What do you think?
 
Well, I think it's pretty simple. Was Ho Chi Minh inspired by the US Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Jefferson or not? If he was, and there is evidence to suggest he was, then I don't see what the problem is. And if he wasn't, then I still don't see what the 60,000 Americans who died have anything to do with this. Thomas Jefferson was inspired by English philosopher John Locke, even as he was drafting the Declaration which began our war with England.

So, again...what exactly is the problem here?
 
He was. No big deal to state the obvious, and no reason to not hold the tongue back to get more cooperation with Vietnam to counter China's growing influence.


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It was a moronic statement for Obama to make.

How dare he mention somebody that has communist views? Obama must be a communist. He must be planning with the Vietnamese government to convert the US to a socialistic state.
 
How dare he mention somebody that has communist views? Obama must be a communist. He must be planning with the Vietnamese government to convert the US to a socialistic state.

Does this mean since Obama blows Hot Air.....that everyone is planning on getting their asses kissed too?
 
Does this mean since Obama blows Hot Air.....that everyone is planning on getting their asses kissed too?

we can only hope
 
we can only hope

"Ah".....I see.
icon_cyclops_ani.gif
A Change. :lol: :2razz:
 
How dare he mention somebody that has communist views? Obama must be a communist. He must be planning with the Vietnamese government to convert the US to a socialistic state.

No, I think he is probably conspiring with American socialists. No need to go abroad to find them.
 
It's never a good public relations move to make a statement like that. Like when Anita Dunn compared Mao and Mother Theresa, even if it's true. However, as long as Ho Chi Minh really was inspired by Jefferson, I have no problem with it.
 
No, I think he is probably conspiring with American socialists. No need to go abroad to find them.
I'm not sure if you're kidding or not, because if you're not then I pity you, and if you are then good one :D
 
As Fiddy said, what Obama said about Ho Chi Minh isn't factually wrong, so there is not any real problem with him saying it other than people may not liking it is true.
 
A lot of psychopaths are inspired by things one would consider good. Communists too, are inspired by an ideal. it's a false, stupid ideal that only morons could adopt, but it's a good ideal. A world of plenty for each and everyone. Magnificent. Ofc, once you start banging it against reality, the cracks start to show.

So while it's entirely possible that nguyen was inspired by the US founding fathers, it doesn't mean that they are the root cause of his motivations to be a communist or a revolutionary.
 
A lot of psychopaths are inspired by things one would consider good. Communists too, are inspired by an ideal. it's a false, stupid ideal that only morons could adopt, but it's a good ideal. A world of plenty for each and everyone. Magnificent. Ofc, once you start banging it against reality, the cracks start to show.

So while it's entirely possible that nguyen was inspired by the US founding fathers, it doesn't mean that they are the root cause of his motivations to be a communist or a revolutionary.

Was ho chi min considered a psychopath?
 
Was ho chi min considered a psychopath?

He led the Việt Minh independence movement to free Vietnam from French colonial rule (and we, because we love freedom and democracy so much, supported France, which was not received well by the Vietnamese people -- go figure) ... in a way, he was their George Washington ...
 
So just because he chose to support a flawed political ideology ho chi min is considered to be psychopathic?

You haven't been paying attention have you.
Communism is not just a flawed ideology. It's a life/nation-destroying, freedom-taking, anti-logical (so not just illogical, anti-logical) ideology whose scars can be seen all accross Eastern Europe and East Germany even today. And they are deep scars.

So yes. He should be considered a psychopath and a moron.
 
It's never a good public relations move to make a statement like that. Like when Anita Dunn compared Mao and Mother Theresa, even if it's true. However, as long as Ho Chi Minh really was inspired by Jefferson, I have no problem with it.

The late 18th century revolutionary movements in France and in the United States would have been in his view, considering where he was educated and where he visited. There's exposure. Then there's the situation back home. We know that Vietnam's long history of being banged around by neighboring and far-away states was a wide social complaint. Then there's his writings, which bear out all the rest of the details. Then there's the rhetoric coming against the colonizers with its proclamation of Independence.

The intellectual ties are thick. There is no possible way to deny it.

What compromises this, however, is the communism and the human rights violations that would come about.
 
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THe Right hates Thomas Jefferson anyway, probably think he's Ho Chi's Great Grandpa. So, why the Obama bashing over it?
 
He led the Việt Minh independence movement to free Vietnam from French colonial rule (and we, because we love freedom and democracy so much, supported France, which was not received well by the Vietnamese people -- go figure) ... in a way, he was their George Washington ...

You know why he started his revolution in 1941? Because he was a coward, that's why. In 1941, France was gone. Conquered by the Nazis. He had no real opposition to fight against. And he didn't give his people freedom and democracy, he gave them communism. He's not close to a George Washington, he's more like a Lenin.

of course you can ...

No, you can't. You need to be a complete moron to support communism. And a psychopath.
 
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