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Originally Posted by tecoyah
We could, and would win a War if we went about it in the way we did in WWII. With Allies, and with a well defined purpose. The American people are not fully behind this War simply because it is undefined, and carries much baggage in the way of misinformation, and subterfuge.
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i've given your post a lot of consideration tecoyah... but there is a wrinkle in it that give me pause. you see, i do not believe that the fractured response to the iraq war is due to clouded circumstances (at least not entirely). a lot of it has to do with people opposing either war or the current President under all conditions. it cannot be pure coincidence that the vast majority of people who oppose the war voted against the President in 2000 while the supporters of the war also supported the President. We're fighting the war along party lines... if it were genuine confusion due to lack of effective prosecution do you not think there would be weaker partisan polarization?
i think when considering how united the country was in WWII, we're now unable to view the response to war w/out history's approval of the war's success and justness. we didn't know about concentration camps or hitler's plan for the world when we began the war. we didn't fully understand the scope and cost of the war in the Pacific until we had won at the cost of thousands and thousands of young men. all these things were unknown... victory was certainly not assured. it was a big gamble that required YEARS of personal sacrifice and catastrophic loss of life.
now i know that last paragraph isn't news to any TFP'er, i'm not intending to patronize you all. but i think it illustrates that in WWII we could not have been as sure of ourselves while we were fighting as we are looking back in history at our monumental accomplishment. they could not have known that their efforts weren't going to be met with staggering defeat.
i think that all wars start with grumbling, political division, and doubt. i'm not sure that we have the resolve to prosecute an extended and costly campaign no matter the justness if its purpose.
ustwo - that's what bothers me. there was a point recently when we ALL were on the same page. too bad that lasted for 8 months or so... at a time when there so few war casualties. i'm worried that is the full measure of our resolve.