Vietnam Syndrome

Brattleboro, Vermont. Popular wisdom credits allied victory in the Persian Gulf War, in part, with the U.S. having learned from the lessons of a failed war in Vietnam. But have we learned the lessons of Vietnam's ''peace,'' as well?Notwithstanding the stunning military victory over Iraq, and the apparent increase in U.S. political and perhaps economic stature at governmental levels, we hear numerous accounts of a simultaneous increase in the deep historical resentments against the Western powers, particularly the United States, among the populace of the Arab and Muslim worlds.

WASHINGTON -- The manhunt for "John Doe No. 2" and the inquiry into the Oklahoma City bombing have become perhaps the largest U.S. criminal investigation ever, with thousands of federal agents from dozens of agencies tapping a vast network of computers, corporate data and other sources in trying to solve the case.The federal government, with an array of elite and little-known investigative units, is deploying every resource available -- from the Bomb Data Center, which tracks chemicals that can be made into explosives, to the FBI's behavioral squad that assembles psychological profiles of criminals.

AFTER 13 years as everything from a hype machine to a cultural touchstone, CBS' "Dallas" ends its run tonight with a two-hour episode -- the show's 356th -- on Channel 11 at 9 o'clock.The finale is a takeoff on the classic Frank Capra film "It's a Wonderful Life," the Jimmy Stewart vehicle that's now a Christmastime staple.In tonight's "Dallas," Joel Grey plays an angel who takes J.R. Ewing around and shows him what life would have been like had he never lived.Though J.R. was one of the most dastardly villains ever to stalk prime time, his life was not without its redemption.

Washington--IF NOMINATED, I will not run," said a war hero a century ago; "If elected, I will not serve."That was General Sherman's legendary response to politicians eager to sponsor his candidacy for president. But what was Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf's response last week to the same talk? "Never say never."Do not flinch from the applecart-upsetting: this guy knows he is a hot candidate for a Democratic draft and is playing his political cards perfectly.From his commanding damn-the-blackout world TV debut to his jargon-free victory news conference (always with visored cap, never with forbidding helmet)

Feeling a little down lately? Worried about your job? The fighting in Bosnia? Sister Souljah?Well, perk up! There is good news at hand.The "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather" is now going to quote politicians at greater length.There. I knew you'd feel better.Concerned that the average TV sound bite for presidential candidates has shrunk from 42.3 seconds in 1968 to 7.3 seconds today, CBS will now give candidates at least 30 seconds on the air "or they won't be heard at all."And can I see a show of hands as to which you'd prefer?

Washington. FOR AMERICA, the Persian Gulf crisis is still in its euphoric stage. Hey, whaddaya know, we're not declining after all. Lesser nations still look to us. But the euphoria will not last. However the Gulf affair is resolved, it represents large chickens of the 1980s coming home to roost.Two in particular. First, the economic myth of the free lunch: that we can live beyond our means indefinitely without paying a price. Second, militarily, the Rambo illusion: We can play superpower in the world at no risk of blood or treasure.

Nearly everyone is celebrating the return of the United Statesas the world power: We are the 800-pound gorilla, we are standing tall, we have shaken the Vietnam syndrome, no one will push us around again.Most Americans think that this is wonderful, a minority that it is terrible. If only it were true.Last year the United States was a sinking power, going down in world influence, not as badly as the Soviet Union, but unmistakably in the same direction. There was one problem after another in the world that the U.S was too broke to tackle as it would have done decades earlier.

My dear Canadian friend:Boy, did you get me in a peck of trouble! Remember, you had heard President Bush say that "only the United States of America has both the moral standing and the means to back it up." And you asked, "Do Americans really think they are morally superior?"I tried to give an honest answer: It depends upon whom you ask -- American Indians, black Americans, the unfortunate Americans who spent last night on the streets because they had no home.When my letter got out, did I ever hear from my fellow Americans!

BOSTON -- I am lying here in a post-adrenaline state of exhaustion, recovering from the visual attack of "Pearl Harbor." This is what it must be like to emerge from a dark, cold video-game parlor into the summer sun. "Pearl Harbor" is not just proof that you can make war, make love and make money all at the same box office. It's "War is Hell" as presented by your military recruitment office. It's chaos and ruin filmed in such loving detail that the audience doesn't recoil. By now, you know the seminal scene: a lazy Sunday morning of Dec. 7 filmed in its glorious peacetime normalcy.

Ever since the last American soldier departed from the rooftops of Saigon more than 26 years ago, politicians and generals have doubted the nation's willingness to stomach military casualties. Call it post-Vietnam syndrome, or "casualty aversion" -- it has contributed to hastened withdrawals in operations ranging from the victory in the Persian Gulf war to the aborted relief mission to Somalia. For the moment, such timidity lies buried in the ruins of lower Manhattan and the Pentagon.