How big an issue would the 'loss' of South Vietman in US politics

Had Kennedy and Johnson decided not to send significant forces to South Vietnam I assume that in due course the Communistis would have won and about a million Vietnamese people and 60 000 Americans would have lived longer.

I suspect it would have been less oppresive than OTL but still a nasty dictatorship


Would Vietnam be a big issue for the Republcians in 1968?
 
I'm not even sure Johnston would receive the 1968 nomination of his own party (assuming he ran), so going up against Nixon wouldn't be an issue for him. It would be as big an issue during the '68 election as a disaster in Iraq would have been in '04 or '08.

On another note, if reunification of Vietnam went about easily, it might give Beijing ideas about taking out the Nationalists. Or give North Korea ideas.
 
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