Quoting from the book I most recently finished:

"By the time the general public realized the extent of the war, the depth and totality of it all, then the rationale in Washington would change, it would become Support of our boys out there. At first the critics were told that they should not be critics because it was not really going to be a war and it would be brief, anyway; then, when it became clear that it was a war, they were told not to be critics because it hurt our boys and helped the other side."

You know what the subject is here, right? Here's a little more:

"All of which would work for a while. Johnson had successfully co-opted the Congress and to a large degree the press."

Substitute the name Bush for Johnson in that passage and it sounds about right too, doesn't it? Although the press of the Vietnam era was absolutely tenacious compared to the bend-over boobs of today.

In any case, yes, the book was about the Vietnam era, "The Best and the Brightest", by David Halberstam. I recommend it. For GW especially.