Saturday, March 15, 2008

The Home Front

Given that we can lose in Iraq only if we beat ourselves, the state of American public opinion is encouraging:

According to late February polling conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 53 percent of Americans — a slim majority — now believe “the U.S. will ultimately succeed in achieving its goals” in Iraq. That figure is up from 42 percent in September 2007.

The percentage of those who believe the war in Iraq is going “very well” or “fairly well” is also up, from 30 percent in February 2007 to 48 percent today.


Unless the enemy manages to surge their own counter-offensive, this trend should continue. Although there will always be a core of at least 20% who will insist, like anti-Baghdad Bobs, that there is no victory regardless of what you are seeing.

Once we win, this trending opinion toward seeing success will influence those who think the war was the right thing to do and worth the price.