Two Tales of TexansLBJ, George W. Bush, and the Lone Star Wars

There are important similarities in the mistakes made in the Vietnam and Iraq Wars, mistakes caused by significant defects in the predominant way of thinking of American foreign policy makers. Perhaps it is no accident that both these wars were undertaken during presidencies of men from Texas, since these characteristic flawed ideological views are more widely and deeply embedded in Texan political culture than in the rest of the country. This article paints in very broad strokes some myths and stereotypes of Texas, some “grand narratives” of Texan culture, analyzing the origin of these grand narratives in Texas history and politics. It briefly sketches the backgrounds and presidencies of Lyndon Johnson and George W. Bush. Several theories are considered as the fundamental causes of the mistakes in Vietnam and Iraq. Finally, data on the regional conflict that continues to polarize the U.S. over the war and politics more generally is analyzed.