Do you think that John Q perceives those wars as a success?

Probably most would say Iraq is a failure at this juncture. I would agree at present. If a strong secular government prevails in Iraq the approval rate would increase. Not sure it would matter that much to me since it might have worked out that way without the war so it would be break even on one scale but still a loss when you consider the lost troops and the lost treasure. For it to be a positive we needed to be where we are now after the first year.

Who knows what they would say about Viet Nam? It wouldn't surprise me if the "no opinions" outnumbered the pros and cons. The only thing certain is you would not get a concensus on whether the conservatives or liberals owned the war. You would get some great sound bites but the Viet Nam war is not an issue that will swing a single vote among the mainstream voters today

Your opinion or my opinion is of no consequence unless it coincides with the majority and the majority is interested in the last 6 months, the next 12 months, and what's on the news tonight.

Fact is, Afghanistan may be on your mind but it is not heavy on John Q's mind any more than our military personnel in S Korea. We are accustomed to our forces being spread around the globe and when there is no stream of body bags being publicized, it fades into the background.

Given the reality that we will have troops in Afghanistan and Iraq for an indefinite (read extended) period under the new administration, you will not see the low casualty rate that we continue to suffer get much media attention. What's low you ask? The media decides.

But there I go thinking again. It serves no real purpose.