When President Johnson delivered his State of the Union address to Congress on January 17, 1968, he spoke about the war in Vietnam with optimism. He listed numerous military achievements to date, mentioned the word “progress” five times, spoke of a “fruitful” visit with the pope, and spoke with a tone and tenor that suggested an imminent peaceful resolution (“Message Johnson Annual"). Just three months later – in an equally important speech to the American people – Johnson stoically announced that he would not seek re-election (“Johnson's Address to the Nation”). What seemed like an impending certainty dissolved into a distant dream. Public support for the war and for Johnson had deteriorated so rapidly during the winter of 1968 that he had no choice but to abandon his efforts to run for a second term. What happened in the months between Johnson's confident State of the Union address and his more brooding speech in March 1968 is no mystery. The Battle of Khe Sanh, combined with the more durable Tet Offensive in late January, dealt a devastating blow to American efforts in Vietnam. In hindsight, these events may have been militarily ineffective, but the cultural ripples they created across America can be seen as nothing short of a major victory for the North Vietnamese. These events were instrumental in turning the tide of the war. General Westmoreland's hope that superior American firepower would end the war with the North Vietnamese in the winter of 1968 was quickly foiled when U.S. Marines were bombarded by a rocket attack and mortar on their isolated site. base in Khe Sanh. The 76-day battle at Khe Sanh ended with victory for both sides, raising the question of why anyone found it strategic to engage...... middle of paper ......ent Lyndon B. Johnson's Address to the Nation Announcing Steps to Limit the War in Vietnam and Announcing His Decision Not to Run for Reelection: March 31, 1968. » LBJ Library and Museum: National Archives and Records Administration. Internet. April 6, 2012. “President Lyndon B. Johnson's Annual Message to Congress on the State of the Union: January 17, 1968,” LBJ Library and Museum: National Archives and Records Administration. Internet. April 6, 2012. “The shock and awe of the Tet Offensive shattered American illusions. » James H. Willbanks. American News. January 29, 2009. The web. April 6, 2012. “The Battle of Khe Sanh, 1968,” The Tet Offensive, Marc J. Gilbert and William Head, eds., Westport, CT: Praeger, 1996, ch. 12, pp. 191-213. Willibanks, James H. The Tet Offensive. New York: Columbia UP, 2007.