No one should expect that this will go especially smoothly. There are real and wide differences among the various factions in Iraq. Many hoped, as the Christian Science Monitor pointed out today, that there would not be a need for 150,000 troops to still be in Iraq keeping the peace. As was the case when Saddam was toppled, many in the U.S. proclaimed victory too soon after the election at the end of January.
As we approach the two year anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, the doubts of many Americans about our involvement remain. The CS Monitor also
summarized some recent polling data:
Still, many Americans, when asked, express uneasiness with - if not opposition to - the war. As reported this week in a Washington Post-ABC News Poll, 53 percent of Americans feel the war was not worth fighting, 57 percent say they disapprove of the Mr. Bush's handling of Iraq, and 70 percent think the number of US casualties is an unacceptable price to have paid. A plurality of Americans (41 percent) also believe the war has damaged this country's standing abroad, particularly as they see much of the "coalition of the willing" heading home from Iraq, leaving Americans to carry more and more of the burden there.
Where do we go from here? Many in the anti-war movement are still calling for an immediate withdrawal. The Bush Administration has refused to set a timetable for U.S. withdrawal, and on the first day of the Iraqi National Assembly, the wide disagreements among the delegates was evident.
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