Iraq Versus Vietnam: A Comparison of Public Opinion

[paineinthearse]

http://mediachannel.org/blog/node/735

It is very interesting to compare the rise and run of the two sets of data representing "yes, mistake" between the Vietnam and Iraq wars (in the current war, more believe it is a mistake earlier).



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Iraq Versus Vietnam: A Comparison of Public Opinion

By Frank Newport and Joseph Carroll
Source: Gallup

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- Will the war with Iraq turn into "another Vietnam" for the United States? Sunday, on ABC's "This Week," Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel stated that the situation in Iraq is not "dissimilar to where we were in Vietnam," and that "the longer we stay there, the more similarities are going to come together." White House counselor Dan Bartlett responded: "We respect Sen. Hagel. He's a decorated Vietnam War veteran. But we couldn't disagree more."

It is obviously too early to predict the verdict of future historians who will compare the two wars. There are significant differences between them, and the Iraq conflict has not yet approached the depth of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, which saw more than 500,000 U.S. troops deployed in that country by 1968 and which ultimately resulted in more than 58,000 U.S. military deaths.

Still, the Iraq war was a major theme in last year's presidential election, as was Vietnam in the elections of 1968 and 1972 -- and the Iraq war is now a dominant subject in news coverage, just as Vietnam was in the 1960s and early 1970s.

An important focus today is the battle for public opinion on Iraq -- as eventually it was in Vietnam. Recent polls showing declining support for the Iraq war in the United States have received much media attention. This has not only prompted President Bush to make speeches explicitly asking for continuing public support for the war (two speeches on Iraq this week alone), but has, in addition, provoked commentators to begin invoking the Vietnam comparison. The highly publicized protest vigil of Cindy Sheehan outside Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, has also provoked memories of the protests that ultimately played such a large part in the Vietnam saga.

more.....

[Karenina]

1. It's so much WORSE than 'Nam...

I do so pray the tipping point has been reached...

[cleveramerican]

2. just maybe we learned...

from viet-nam and ordinary Americans are waking up to it and will never let Iraq drag on so long. The ordinary people ar coming to see that Iraq is a mess we never should have saddled ourselves with.

[paineinthearse]

3. I just don't get GDP - a vent

This was posted at 9:52PM and received 2 replies since that time.

Co-incidentally, at 9:51PM the same information was posted to LBN, has received 32 responses and is on the home page.

:shrug:

I am grateful that the admins recognized the value and its brother post placed it for a wider audience to see.