It is a well known and obvious fact that people tend to react to the grim images they see on the television. These images will inevitably empower some, or frighten others. With today's technology and advancements in the news media, we've seen news reporters riding with tanks to battle, enabling us to witness bodies drug through streets, children battered and bruised, and other upsetting images very graphically portrayed. As more of these images are shown, I believe a lot of people will witness the upsetting but realities of war. What we should be focused on more is the principle, rather than the outcome. The more I find out about why we are at war, the more I agree with what is going on.
And for those who compare this war with Vietnam, the soldiers are much better trained and prepared than they ever were back then. The war (in terms of the death toll) is not nearly as catastrophic a loss, and we are operating under a much stronger cause.
Here's a great link I found on casualties in previous wars
http://www.civilwarhome.com/casualties.htm. In the three days of the battle of Gettysburg, for instance, over 50,000 human casualties were reported, which is nearly the amount of lives taken in the entire Vietnam war. We will be in Iraq for as long as it takes to rebuild the nation, however, I believe it will be a much shorter time span than that of Vietnam.