Some differences though. Vietnam was an ideological thing - "everyone has the right to self-determination, so long as they decide to follow the same political views as us". Basically the whole imperialist bullshit. The North Vietnamese _really_ believed in what they were fighting for, and had a fair amount of popular support.

Columbia is purely a criminal thing. The police are fighting an ongoing (some would say "losing") battle against drugs gangs in most US cities, too, but that's not a reason to withdraw the police. And any support the drugs cartels have from the locals is purely out of fear - it's not cos they believe in the rights of the drugs barons to ship this stuff, it's cos the drugs barons can have them and their family tortured to death.

"Clear and Present Danger" to the contrary, any US troops in Columbia are advisors. Whilst that covers a multitude of sins ("advisor" is a pretty loose description, and can be anything from just coordination of effort up to leadership, intelligence, training or SAS fireteams), it doesn't include volumes of draftee grunts going in.

And one thing you can at least be glad of - your current Pres isn't going to get you into this to salvage some votes, like Grenada, etc.

Grab.