LBJ was bullied into VietNam war same way they are bullying Obama now...

[H2O Man]

42. President Kennedy

was isolated from even his top advisers when it came to Vietnam. There were really only two general opinions within the administration: those who were in favor of sending troops in immediately, and those looking to do so on a slower pace. But only the President was in favor of pulling out the "military advisers" (who were very much involved in the warfare, especially from the air).

It's curious to consider that one of the very few who did oppose sending troops was W. Averell Harriman. Technically, he had a couple of relatively minor positions within the administration. But he was more of an "elder statesmen" -- one of the few members of the already established "shadow government" who combined public service with private business (aka intelligence).

Harriman understood that, because of the backing of the USSR and China, the US could kill 1,000 "enemies" for every US soldier killed, and that it would drain the US's resources. He was also a balance to some of the mad men in various positions (government, military & intelligence) who viewed nuclear weapons as an option.

It's a shame that the public's understanding of how and why Vietnam happened has become so shallow. In my opinion, that is why we are facing similar situations today. The machine requires military conflicts.