The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 13, 2006, Page 5, Image 5
Symposium examines whether
Americans pay attention to Iraq
Kimberly Hefling
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CARLISLE, Pa. — What are
the implications if a nation
goes to war and its people
barely pay attention?
Roughly 150 military
leaders, policy analysts
and academics gathered at
the Army War College on
Wednesday to address that
question, with the U.S.
beginning its fourth year
of a conflict that has killed
more than 2,300 American
troops.
A main concern, analysts
say, is that Americans may
lose patience with the
fight against terrorism in
Iraq and elsewhere, and
ultimately decide that the
fight is costing too much in
money and lives.
Despite the two fronts
in Iraq and Afghanistan,
President Bush has not
asked for personal sacrifices
on the scale of those made
in World War II, when
Americans bought war
bonds and rationed sugar
and other goods.
Also, because the U.S.
has an all-volunteer
military, fewer people have
a personal connection to
a service member than
was the case, for example,
during the Vietnam War,
when many soldiers were
drafted.
“It’s extremely important
then to ensure that the
population itself both
recognizes the necessity of
the action, but is also willing
to accept and bear some of
the burden,” said Army Lt.
Col. Nathan Freier, director
of national security affairs
at the college’s Strategic
Studies Institute.
Opposition to the war in
Iraq has been more subdued
than it was during the
Vietnam War. Attendance
at demonstrations last
month marking the third
year anniversary of the Iraq
war was far short of the
millions who protested the
2003 invasion and the first
anniversary in 2004.
The public’s interest in
Iraq has dipped since the
2003 invasion, when close
to six in 10 were closelv
following news about the
war. Polling early this year
found 40 percent paying
very close attention to the
situation in Iraq — less
than the 47 percent that
closely followed the mining
disaster in West Virginia.
And far more people were
closely following news
about high gas prices in
October and November of
last year, according to the .
Pew Research Center.
Bush has said a future
U.S. president and a future
Iraqi government will decide
when all troops leave Iraq
— indication that the fight
could last years longer.
Just 35 percent of the
public approves of the
way Bush has handled the
war — his lowest approval
rating on that issue in AP
Ipsos polling.
Army Col. Pete Mansoor,
who commanded troops in
Iraq, said inis difficult for
the administration to call
for deep sacrifices.
“Before you ask for
shared sacrifice, there has
to be consensus of shared
goals and objectives, and
if you look at any opinion
poll, the nation is deeply
divided over what the war
on terror means, and how
to prosecute,” Mansoor
said.
James Carafano, a
res-earch fellow at the
conservative Heritage
Foundation think tank, said
he believes Americans have
sacrificed by sending troops
to war and paying taxes.
The amount of resources
devoted to the fight should
be in proportion to what is
needed, Carafano said.
“The notion that
somehow a nation is only at
war if everyone is growing a
victory garden is silly,” said
Carafano, co-author of the
book “Winning the
War.”
In a long war such as
the current effort against
terrorism, Carafano said,
“you are as concerned about
maintaining the productive
capacity of the state as
you are about getting the
terrorists, defeating the
enemy. That means you
have to give equal weight to
ensuring the state is healthy
and competitive over the
long term.”
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