Pew Research Center Poll on Iraq

[SWJED]

Pew Research Center Poll on Iraq

The Pew Research Center is reporting increasing public optimism about Iraq in poll results released yesterday. From the report:

Public perceptions of the situation in Iraq have become significantly more positive over the past several months, even as opinions about the initial decision to use military force remain mostly negative and unchanged.
The number of Americans who say the military effort is going very or fairly well is much higher now than a year ago (48% vs. 30% in February 2007). There has been a smaller positive change in the number who believe that the U.S. will ultimately succeed in achieving its goals (now 53%, up from 47% in February 2007).

Opinion on the critical question of whether the U.S. should keep troops in Iraq is now about evenly divided, the first time this has happened since late 2006. About half of those surveyed (49%) say they favor bringing troops home as soon as possible, but most of these (33%) favor gradual withdrawal over the next year or two, rather than immediate withdrawal. Similarly, just under half (47%) say that the U.S. should keep troops in Iraq until the situation has stabilized, with most of these (30%) saying that no timetable should be set...

[Tom Odom]

From a fellow Aggie and CSI/History Department Author, Jim Willbanks.

Some of Jim's works include:

Thiet Gap! The Battle of An Loc,

The Tet Offensive: A Concise History (Hardcover)

Abandoning Vietnam

Op-Ed Contributor
Winning the Battle, Losing the War

By JAMES H. WILLBANKS
Published: March 5, 2008
Fort Leavenworth, Kan.


...Gen. David Petraeus, commander of coalition forces in Iraq, is a student of the Vietnam War whose doctoral dissertation at Princeton was titled “The American Military and the Lessons of Vietnam.” Clearly, he internalized those lessons, because in discussing the surge and the progress of the war in Iraq he has studiously avoided building undue expectations and has repeatedly said that there will be tough times ahead. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was likewise careful in his recent comments about re-evaluating troop reduction plans this summer. The wisdom of their approach will become especially evident if insurgents in Iraq engage in any Tet-like offensive this year — especially with a presidential election looming and the future of the American military commitment in Iraq hanging in the balance.

[120mm]

I'm particularly interested in the difference between those who think the US will succeed, and those who think we should withdraw troops.

I'm interested in how to explain the difference. Magical thinking, or do 4% of the people believe we can accomplish the mission through withdrawal.

[William F. Owen]

Originally Posted by Tom Odom

Abandoning Vietnam

A guy I know called Lewis Sorely wrote a book called "A Better War," which followed the same vein as this title. The fact that the US left, and was not chased out is one of the Rosetta stones of modern strategy that is commonly ignored.

[Tom Odom]

Originally Posted by William F. Owen

A guy I know called Lewis Sorely wrote a book called "A Better War," which followed the same vein as this title. The fact that the US left, and was not chased out is one of the Rosetta stones of modern strategy that is commonly ignored.

I have invited Jim Willbanks to join us here on SWJ; I beliueve he would addmuch historical depth when it comes to discussing the US experience in Vietnam.

Best

Tom

[SteveMetz]

Originally Posted by William F. Owen

A guy I know called Lewis Sorely wrote a book called "A Better War," which followed the same vein as this title. The fact that the US left, and was not chased out is one of the Rosetta stones of modern strategy that is commonly ignored.

To use the statement of Harry Summers' Vietnamese colonel, isn't that true but irrelevant?

[Ken White]

effort by the US, it is possibly of little relevance. With respect to strategic planning, it would seem to me to have some relevance...