America Says Let's Win War

[Stratiotes]

Such results are not uncommon in time of war. Similar results were often obtained to the very end of the Vietnam war. Few will go out on a limb and say they'd like to just give up....even if they did not agree withthe war to begin with.

[John T. Fishel]

The first thing to note about the demographics of the sample is that it is of "likely" voters. This means that there will almost certainly be some deviation from the percentages of selected groups among the population as a whole. In this case, blacks are represented fairly closely to their proportion of the population at large, but Hispanics are seriously underrepresented as, it appears, are Asians. But, then, Hispanics have been much less likely to vote, hence the over-representation of whites. The upper income groups and more hightly educated are also over-represented but again, they are more likely voters.

As I indicated earlier, I did not see questions that appeared to predispose the respondents toward a particular answer and, more importantly, because there were multiple questions seeking to get at the same variables I am comfortable with the results.

Interesting was that the polls taken post-Tet showed general dissatisfaction with the course of the war but when the questions asked what people wanted to do about it, they were all over the map. If I recall correctly, however, the bottom line was do what it takes to win or get out now. "Deja vu all over again" ?

[carl]

I can't comment on the mood of the country because I've been away for most of the past two years. And I can't comment about polls now or in the 60's and 70's. What I can comment on is what I remember about the mood of the nation in the 60's and 70's.

We wanted to win the war. We didn't mind the sacrifices as demonstrated by the blood and treasure expended. We wanted leaders who wanted to win as much as we did. That, for whatever reason, is what we didn't get. The leadership we had couldn't make up its mind whether winning was even a good thing. So they bumbled along, safe inside the beltway while other people died, always appearing mature and reasonable.

We put up with this for a long time until a critical number of people decided it just wasn't worth it anymore and we left. "win or get out now."

Personally I see a similar thing happening now. We have a feckless (thank you Bing West) political leadership class that is afraid to try hard at anything for fear they may fail and look bad. They figure we are the same as they are so they are afraid to ask us to make the efforts (by us, I mean people who aren't in the military or otherwise serving) needed to win the war. So they have bumbled along.

In both these wars, the fundamental problem is not with the character of the American people, it is with the character of the people inside the beltway, in academia and in the media.

[goesh]

Carl. I just read my old hometown newspaper. Farmers mostly live up there and I see where some of the farm women had sent some quilts they made over to some troops. The lady in charge of the operation thanked everyone and mentioned that not only would those quilts provide warmth but they could be used in times of sand storms. So I asked myself, how does a farm wife from our heartland know about sand storms in Iraq? Well, the answer is simple, she not only reads and keeps generally abreast of events but she has alot of common sense and common values so typical of our people. If a quilt on a farm could be used to wrap a new born, wet calf in the winter, kids in a stranded car, to cover a broken window in an emergency to keep out some of the cold or to smother a fire with, it certainly could be used against blowing sand. Common sense tells the common people that if we cut and run from Iraq, many jihadists and terrorists are not going to be content to leave it at that. Their energy and capability will continue to be deployed against our interests elsewhere, quite possibly here at home again. We the People know the wolf has to be kept away from the door.