University of Virginia Library

Digging His Own Grave

We are sure most students are comforted
by President Nixon's remarks made
Wednesday during an informal press
conference on the Indochina war. We should
feel so much more confident knowing that
the President flatly ruled out the possibility
of employing tactical nuclear weapons in war
torn Southeast Asia. Of course, he did state
that he will not place any limits on use of
American air power anywhere in Indochina
and did not rule out an invasion across the
Demilitarized Zone into North Vietnam.

Wednesday's remarks by the President is
further evidence that he is still operating an
unjust and unintelligent war in Southeast Asia
which is detrimental to the interests of the
United States, both externally and internally,
from the same mistaken assumptions that led
President Johnson to the decision not to try
for a second term. President Nixon's tough
rhetoric in the face of a pledge to continue to
withdraw American forces from Vietnam is
yet another attempt to make Americans, for
no one else in the world is convinced, feel
that we have not lost in the rice paddies of
Indochina.

We have lost in Vietnam in its neighboring
countries. We made a policy blunder and then
tried to depend upon military adventures to
turn the mistake around into an ultimately
wise decision. We have failed miserably. Our
leaders still refuse to focus on the meaning of
the war clearly, but desperately cling to
already disproven assumptions about our role
in the Southeast Asian world.

There is some consolation in realizing that
the policies of the Nixon Administration,
both foreign and domestic, will spell political
defeat for the Republican national ticket in
the 1972 elections. Richard Nixon went into
the 1968 election with a powerful message of
unity that crushed the Democrats who failed
to even conduct a productive convention. He
had everything in his favor. The nation was
ready for a change, fearful of the liberal
advances inside the country and frustrated
with the thorny conflict abroad. He faced a
lackluster opponent who came from divided
ranks, yet he almost managed to be beaten.

President Nixon played his chips in the
1970 congressional elections as he tried to
unseat the "radiclibs" by playing on
polarization. He fell disastrously short of his
mark. His Vice-President enjoyed buoying
popularity for a moment, but now that the
dust has cleared many influential Republicans
who stayed quiet during the mudslinging
campaign are bringing the financial ax down
on his head Substantial numbers of citizens
who agreed with the thrust of his barbs are
now growing wary of his tactics which throw
gasoline on the fires.

President Nixon has effectively defused
the war, as a campaign issue, unless he
continues to create more crises similar to
those of Cambodia and Laos. However, he is
now President because of the war. He has
nothing on which to stand in 1972.