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  Tuesday, Jul 7, 2009 2:22AM / Standard Entry / Members only
  5 comments

  While the world is still busy mourning the death of the King of Pop...

  Few, I believe,  will mourn for the subject of this piece, the longest serving Secretary of Defense in the history of the United State of America:
  
  
  

  
  

  Robert McNamara (1916-2009)

  
  

  It would not be a surprise at all if some of you have never heard of this man; after all, most of us here on AnD are well below the age of 50 and have never been involved in the anti-war movement during the height of the counter-culture frenzy in the 60's, where his image, like the infamous George Dubya in the 21st Century, were the targets of students and activists all over the world.

  
  

  Robert McNamara is the longest serving Secretary of Defense in the U.S's history, where he served in JFK's and Lyndon Johnson's office throughout most of the 60's. He is mostly known as the prime architect of the Vietnam War, bringing in an army of 500,000+ strong into active duty in the jungle. And indeed, many people hated him for that.

  
  

  But this entry is no obituary, I don't consider myself knowledgeable to write about a comprehensive account on what the man had done or achieved in his lifetime, especially when it involves such heavy subject as the Vietnam War or the U.S.'s foreign policy during the peak of the cold war. I'm simply trying to share my admiration of this man who, after all the wrongs he had done or misjudgment he had made, is able to come forward and admit all his mistakes and share publicly the lessons he had learned from it all.

  
  

  Yes, I'm talking about the wonderful documentary he partake in, THE FOG OF WAR, made by the always mind-blowing documentary director, Errol Morris. The film is based on a intimate interview between the director and McNamara, which revolves mainly around the Vietnam War and the veteran's view on the War on Terror and the U.S.'s foreign policy at large. It is a rare and candid account of an once influential politician expressing his regrets and doubts about the choices and actions he had made in the past and what he would hope to see in the future. It is simply one of the best documentary films I've seen about political figures recounting their past. Oh and it won the Oscar for best documentary in 2003 as well, if that helps to convince anyone.

  
  

  Even though there may be things he omitted to say or embellished it a little; but to be able to sit down and recount one's wrongdoings is a virtue we all praise. However, at the end of the day, how many of us can actually achieve that, as it often alienates ourselves from our deep-rooted believes, our friends and colleagues, and our worldview. 

  
  

  We Chinese have a long list of historical denials and outright lies...I sincerely hope that someday, someone will be courageous enough to give us a glimpse of the truth, even if it hurts...  

  
  

  D....

  
  

  Video:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgjF3dvhyoA