I Am the Learner (Updated)

The lesson Bush says we have learned from the Vietnam War, and how it relates to Iraq:

"We'll succeed," Bush added, "unless we quit."

What? Really? Oh, right. That day when North Vietnam surrendered and renounced Communism. Yeah, that was sweet.

(Oh, my. Could it actually be that Bush meant that we did quit in Vietnam, and that's why we "lost?")

I'm reminded of Kevin Kline ("the American") and John Cleese in A Fish Called Wanda:

Cleese: Winners. Like North Vietnam??
Kline (exasperated): Shut Up. We didn't lose Vietnam. It was a tie!

Update: ThinkProgress agrees:

The lesson from Vietnam is exactly the opposite of what Bush suggested. In fact, we can succeed by leaving. Bush acknowledged as much, stating Vietnam has shown progress in recent years. Vietnam’s recovery demonstrates that a U.S. withdrawal does not doom a country to civil strife. America’s venture in Vietnam failed not because we left too soon, but because we left too late.