Being that Richard Nixon was a Quaker, and that Quakers believe in radical non-violence, why did Nixon order the bombing of Cambodia?

SiegeTank55

Nixon was trying to use "containment" into Vietnam to prevent Vietnam into turning to a communist country. When North Vietnam attacks reached into Cambodia, a neutral country; Nixon decided to attack it. More about containment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Containment Apr 01 10, 4:55 PM

star_gazer

But why, as a self avowed Quaker, did Nixon not choose non-violence as opposed to "containment"? Quakers believe that war and conflict are against God's wishes and so they are dedicated to pacifism and non-violence. And from a practical point of view they think that force nearly always creates more problems than it solves. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/quakers_1.shtml Apr 01 10, 6:39 PM

Arpeggionist

Well, Nixon was not serving as a Quaker preacher-in-chief, but as the President of the United States. And the job calls for the occasional condonement of behavior that is contrary to the President's own religious doctrine. It would be like a Jewish president banning pork rinds from US restaurants - it would be illegal, and overturned by the courts. The unfortunate part of being President is that religion often has to take a back seat to national interest not as perceived by the President, but as called for by Congress. Apr 02 10, 1:52 PM