LJ Idol Presents:

Actually one of the lessons of Vietnam *was* "Rah-rah the troops," due to stories (largely exaggerated or apocryphal, I'm told) of troops coming back from Nam only to be spat upon, and how dare we treat our fellow citizens that way. On the next deployment, Desert Storm (Gulf War I with the Elder Bush) I remember protesters (and there were protesters) had to constantly emphasize that they supported the troops while opposing the military action. The brisk success of that action made the general public feel that the next one would be a cakewalk -- all we had to do was "support the troops" again.