The Wall Street Journal reports that there’s at least one major difference between Iraq and Vietnam — a comparison Democrats are eager to draw. In the case of Vietnam, the views of Americans never changed course:
Pollsters first noticed an uptick in public perceptions of the war in the fall. But the change in February “struck me as, ‘Wow,'” said Andrew Kohut, the Pew Research Center director…. The change in public attitudes comes at a time when it’s increasingly likely that tens of thousands of U.S. troops will remain in Iraq for years to come, regardless of who is elected president. Advisers to the two Democrats say the candidates would begin withdrawing “combat” troops, but would keep significant numbers of “noncombat” troops in Iraq, and would largely abandon the counterinsurgency role that the U.S. currently is playing.
It’s no accident that Democrats are again trying to adapt to the changed public attitude:
Congressional Democrats searching for a message that will resonate on the Iraq war are preparing an argument that getting troops out of the conflict is the only way to rebuild a spent military… Or, as a staffer put it, “You can’t rebuild an engine while you’re driving along at 60 miles per hour.
As a friend comments, you may not be able to rebuild an engine while you’re driving at 60 miles per hour, but if your main goal is keeping the engine clean and ready, you’re never going to get anywhere. Hat Tip: Instapundit
