LBJ Trip

The LBJ Museum was interesting. The movie at the beginning about his life made him seem more human, especially when they show him saying he won't be running for office again and then he hugs his wife and daughter. It made him more likable to me, the same way that Fog of War made McNamara more likable.
I noticed it was never said that the Gulf of Tonkin was an untrue event, but I really wasn't all that surprised. I saw the paper which stated the attack and it looked very official. I also noticed the color of some of the statues displayed. Two statues of American soldiers, one African American and one white, were both light beige. The white soldier was inside the display case while the other was outside. I wondered what the designer's motive was for this placement was. Nearby inside another display case was a statue of a dark green Viet Cong soldier and its caption read that he carried a Russian SKS rifle. I questioned if the Viet Cong really had Russian weapons or if this was just another propaganda trick to justify America's reason for being in Vietnam to stop the spread of communism. They also referred to the Vietnam War as the "War that Broke America's Will."
Visiting the LBJ Museum made me sympathize for the man. I realized from all the displays and movie how much he really wanted to improve the country through civil reform and better education. It really is unfortunate that he is remembered for the bad aspects of his presidency-mainly the Vietnam War.