AH Challenge: President William Westmoreland (R-SC)

Your challenge, should you accept it, is to find a way to elect General William Westmoreland, commander of US Forces in Vietnam from 1964-1968 President of the United States by 1976 with a POD in 1965.

So, are you up to the challenge?:)
 
Westmoreland was on Nixon's list as a possible VP pick in 1968. Assume that Nixon-Westmoreland wins in 1968 and 1972, as Nixon-Agnew did in OTL, and that Westmoreland becomes President afterwards, either in a close election against a poorly-managed Carter campaign (I know, butterflies, but it shows that a Republican win in 1976 is possible) or as a direct result of Watergate (butterflies, again).

Not too difficult, really. :p
 
The POD is that Westmoreland does much better as commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam from 1965 on. How exactly, I'm not sure, but let's assume that (among other things) the 1968 Tet offensive is somehow strangled in its cradle because the U.S./ARVN command echelon was much more on the ball. That makes Westmoreland more attractive as a presidential candidate in '68, '72 or '76.
 
Perhaps Westmoreland could come up with an effective plan to invade north vietnam, let's say in '67. He sends it to Washington, but it is not turned, most likely after Tet. Out goes Johnson, in comes Nixon. Westmoreland submits his second draft around '70-'71, and this is turned down, maybe on the influence of Kissinger or Nixon. Westmoreland protests and he is removed from command, and threatened if he reveals anything. Watergate comes along, and Westmoreland (either still in the military of governor of South Carolina) subtly leaks the situation. Nixon resigns, Ford is in, holds off on nominating a veep until he pardons Nixon, loses popularity, then nominates Westmoreland to win some support back. Either of the assassins in California get Ford, and Westmoreland is the next President.

Of course I don't know too much about Westmoreland or any plans to launch a ground invasion of Vietnam, but it does fit the "one hand tied" mentality.
 
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