7 years ago Mike Moyers
No super heroes here. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick knock it out of the park
A few weeks ago one of the Deplorables I breakfast with each day reminded those at the table to DVR Ken Burns’ documentary, “The Vietnam War.” And so I did.
It’s a 10 part, 18 hour effort that covers the story starting well before the war and takes the viewer to years afterwards. “The Vietnam War” will leave you speechless.
Had I a dollar for every time either my wife or I said, “I didn’t know that!” I would be sleeping until 9 and playing LOTS of golf. The program was eye opening to say the least.
The 18 hours was filled with great background stories; tapes of telephone conversations between President Johnson, Robert McNamara and others. And still more from the Nixon administration. You will hear stuff you won’t believe.
According to Burns’ and Novick what America was led to believe back in the 60’s and what was actually happening were two entirely different things. And that really shocked me.
Burns took no prisoners. Nor did he take sides. He quietly showed the audience that those in the government, both Democrat and Republican, were in WAY over their heads. The nation’s leaders, dating all the way back to Eisenhower, put Americans in harm’s way and hadn’t a clue as to how to get out of the mess and still save face.
And that’s all I’ll divulge for now.
You can find “The Vietnam War” on WQEC. You can stream the first two episodes here. Anyway, be sure to record it and then sit down with the entire family and give this a look.
It’s really MUST SEE TV.