The government of Philip II naturally differed greatly from that of the United States four centuries later. To expect otherwise, as McNamara seems to have done, is unrealistic, unreasonable and unwise. Furthermore, McNamara's `explanation' for his failure - which recurs frequently in his memoirs - overlooks the obvious fact that every Great Power must expect to confront a `blizzard of problems',Īnd so cannot normally concentrate on a single threat for long. Both men failed to achieve most of their policy goals both sacrificed lives, resources and reputation on a prodigious scale both left their countries Robert Strange McNamara, the author of this lament, has, like Philip II, generally had a very bad press. It existed then, it exists today, and it ought to be recognized and planned for when organizing a government. I have never seen a thoughtful examination of the problem. It has existed at all times and in most countries. This predicament is not unique to the administration in which I served or to the United States. There were only twenty-four hours in a day, and we often did not have time to think straight. Simply put, we faced a blizzard of problems, One reason the Kennedy and Johnson administrations failed to take an orderly, rational approach to the basic questions underlying Vietnam was the staggering variety and complexity of other issues we faced.
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