No members of Congress and only two members of the US Senate voted against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964. It was this resolution which essentially gave the go-ahead--despite a lack of formal declaration of war--for full-scale involvement in Vietnam. The two men who dissented were Ernest Gruening of Alaska and Wayne Morse of Oregon. Morse continued to oppose what he saw as an unconstitutional use of force that would be seen as a horrendous mistake by generations to come, leading to the loss of many American and Vietnamese lives. Morse had been a minority voice for years, going head-to-head with Joseph McCarthy (ironically, both men were born in Wisconsin), decrying what he saw was a hysteric abrogation of civil liberties in the 'fight' against Communism.
Cronkite's report is particularly interesting in light of a 'war' on terrorism that seems to have gone awry, at best due to faulty intelligence, at worst due to outright fabrication. As with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the vote on 9.14.01 that gave the President sweeping power in retaliating force had little opposition--in fact, only one member of Congress, Representative Barbara Lee, a former socail worker and representing the area of California that includes Berkeley, dissented. She later received an award named for Sen. Morse.
A quote by Lee:
I do not want to see this spiral out of control. This crisis involves issues of national security, foreign policy, public safety, intelligence gathering, economics, and murder. Our response must be equally multifaceted. We must not rush to judgement. Far too many innocent people have already died. . . . [W]e must be careful not to embark on an open-ended war with neither an exit strategy nor a focused target. We cannot repeat past mistakes. In 1964, Congress gave President Lyndon Johnson the power to "take all necessary measures" to repel attacks and prevent further aggression. In so doing, this House abandoned its own constitutional responsibilities and launched our country into years of undeclared war in Vietnam. At this time Senator Wayne Morse [cast] one of the two lonely votes against the Tonkin Gulf Resolution. . . . Senator Morse was correct, and I fear we make the same mistake today. And I fear the consequences. I have agonized over this vote. But I came to grips with it in the very painful yet beautiful memorial service today at the National Cathedral. As a member of the clergy so eloquently said, `As we act, let us not become the evil that we deplore.
Rep. Lee, was later re-elected to her office, despite her dissent.
I really do feel that we are at a crux in our country's--and our world's--history. The last few years have spiraled into a seemingly endless reign of violence, both by and in response to terrorism, and unfortunately, like those who witnessed the era of McCarthy and the labelling of some beliefs as 'unAmerican', those of us who do not whole-heartedly support this Administration's actions are seen as somehow un-patriotic--ironic, because most of us have a very deep love for our country, and seek only to prevent the erosion of its greatest strengths of diversity and civil liberties. It is not enough to know that thirty years down the road I may be able to say, 'yes, we were right'. For by that time the nation that I know and love may be irrevocably changed, and not for the best. I can only hope I'm wrong. But I do hate to see history repeat itself again and again. The main comfort I can take is that these things do tend to cycle, and war is impossible to sustain forever, so peace must eventually happen.
Of course, if you're ever given one wish to be fulfilled, you know you never wish for world peace, right? Because the easiest way to bring that about is for everyone to die. No people, no war. No anything. Just Mother Nature reclaiming Her own.
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