Iraq: Shades of the 1968 Tet Offensive?

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct 18, 2006 — -- Tony Snow, the president's press secretary, is less cautious than some of his predecessors in the Bush White House.

Possibly because of his experience in the live give-and-take of a talk-show host, Snow is more likely to respond off-the-cuff than look at his prepared talking points.

Still, heads turned this morning when he offered an opinion of an op-ed column by Tom Friedman.

Writing in today's New York Times, Friedman suggested that the current violence in Iraq was "the jihadist equivalent of the Tet offensive."

As Friedman did, we should take time out here for younger readers who may not have heard of Tet.

It was a series of attacks launched in what was then South Vietnam by communist forces.

They lasted almost a year and a half, ending in June 1969.

American forces said that the communists suffered a devastating military defeat. And most historians agree. But that was not the way Americans at home viewed it.

They sat in their living rooms watching shocking pictures of communist troops deep inside the South Vietnamese capital, Saigon. The troops even penetrated the grounds of the U.S. Embassy.

After the Tet offensive began, support for the Vietnam War declined -- and so did support for President Johnson.

Two months after the start of the offensive, Johnson announced he would not seek re-election.

Today, historians regard Tet as a major turning point in the Vietnam War.

Which brings us back to Snow's remark about Friedman's column: "I think Friedman may be right, but we'll have to see."

This may be one of those occasions when, on reflection, Snow may backtrack on his comments. He has done that before, saying he was mistaken.

But for now, the president's spokesman seems to be saying that the present carnage in Iraq could be a pivotal psychological victory for the terrorists.

Actually, Snow just went one step beyond what many in the administration have long said: The pictures of death and dismemberment on the evening news have had a devastating effect on public support for the president's Iraq policy.