McNamara's lack of Ethos

If this was McNamara’s attempt at qualifying or excusing his actions prior to and during the Vietnam War, he achieved just the opposite. He makes two major mistakes in the documentary which in my eyes discredit any ethos he has toward teaching the viewer "lessons".

His first big mistake is denying the blame for his actions, and in fact quickly placing the blame on president Johnson when asked who should be held responsible for the war. This made McNamara look even guiltier. He further tries to pin blame on the “fog of war” as the title suggests, saying that the definition of the “fog of war” is that “war is so complex that it is beyond the ability of the human mind to comprehend all the variables” Yes, I understand that there are multiple layers to war. Yes, there are of course many people and circumstances to blame. But, was McNamara not a consistent force escalating the war? You were Secretary of Defense, McNamara, obviously you are guilty of something; we’re not stupid!

His second big mistake is not answering the questions asked of him. One of the “lessons” he talks about is to “answer the question you wished was asked of you”. Seriously McNamara? What possible good can he think would ever come from telling us that he is not being honest with us, (even in this documentary)? Yes in hindsight, most Americans would say that the war was a terrible idea and most would also try to say they were against it. However, that doesn’t change their actions or words during the war. Toward the end of the documentary there is a flashback to an interview of McNamara during the war where he is asked whether the “war is turning into a stale mate”. He laughs in response and outright lies saying that the US military is showing “substantial progress”. Soon after this he also says in a “lesson” that you cannot change human nature. So basically putting these two "lessons" together, I gather that he was a liar back in the war years and is still a liar now.

I would feel more sympathy for this man if he would just admit his actions and answer all of the questions. Yes, he tears up a few times. Yes he says, “We all make mistakes”. But, he never fully accepts blame; there is always an excuse. If he is not honest with me about his actions during the war nor completely honest in his answers to the questions the interviewer asks, how can I find the "lessons" he is trying to teach in the documentary credible?