Gohmert: 'Vietnam was winnable,' but 'people in Washington decided' to lose

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) on Thursday asserted that the U.S. war in "Vietnam was winnable, but people in Washington decided we would not win it!"

"One of the things that we've heard over and over again since Vietnam is, you know, we don't want to get in another un-winnable war like Vietnam," Gohmert told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). "I'm not going to debate the merits of whether we should or should not have gone to Vietnam, but what I will tell you is, Vietnam was winnable, but people in Washington decided we would not win it!"

"Folks, when you hear people talk about the lesson of Vietnam, it ought to be this: You don't send American men or women to to harm's way unless you're going to give them the authority and what they need to win and then bring them home!"

The Texas Republican went on to suggest that former President Jimmy Carter should have gone to war with Iran in 1979.

"When our embassy was attacked, it was an act of war in 1979," he explained. "Nobody really wanted to go, but we had been attacked. We expected the United States to respond."

"And I still believe today, we have Americans dying for our country because we did not send a message in 1979. You don't attack American soil, and that's what an embassy is. We should stand up. There is a time for war! There's a time for peace. But if you go to war, you better mean it."

Watch this video from CNN, broadcast March 14, 2013.