How did "Tet Offensive" come to define America's involment in the Vietnam War?

Answer 1

For the North Vietnamese, a military defeat but an overwhelming propaganda victory.

It has defined insurgent tactics up to now. It is why Islamist web sites are so sophisticated. Who cares about victory on the ground when you can achieve victory in the mind of the enemy?

It is a pity that Shrub and his team could not work it out. They had a moment or two after the invasion to win the war of the minds, but chose, instead, to win the war of the deaths.

Answer 2

On television. The thing was mis-timed from any tactical perspective. The Viet Cong were essentially destroyed as a fighting unit, never able to operate in "phase three" style operations again, and the NVA were weakened enough that it took months for them to regroup and resupply. But strategically, it was a stunning victory for Giap, because the media in the US misinterpreted the results. When Walter Cronkite announced his (wrong) spin, it became truth, and Cronkite's pronouncement was the moment Johnson new he was lost. Our wars since have been won or lost not on the basis of military capability but on the basis of whether the major media were for or against our interventions.

Answer 3

The news coming out of Nam by the military at the time was that the insurgents (Viet Cong) were being soundly defeated and the North too was being weakened. The Tet offensive was proof to the contrary and the truth form the news media at the time became more prevelant.