Cyclical opinion on Iraq
The latest shows how the public feels the same way about Iraq today as they did about Vietnam in 1970.
The most recent Gallup poll this month found that52% of adult Americans want to see all U.S. troops out of Iraq within ayear, with 19% advocating immediate withdrawal. In the summer of 1970,Gallup found that 48% wanted a pullout within a year, with 23%embracing the “immediate†option. Just 7% want to send more troops now,vs. 10% then.
At present, 56% call the decision to invade Iraq a“mistake,†with 41% disagreeing. Again this echoes the view of theVietnam war in 1970, when that exact same number, 56%, in May 1970called it a mistake in a Gallup poll.
This adds credibility to the belief that history is a cyclical process. And in this particular instance, the cycle is one generation removed.
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