Five Years and Counting: Americans on the Iraq War

With five years gone by since U.S. troops invaded Baghdad in 2003, headlines continue to proclaim the controversy that rages on across the nation regarding what the U.S. government is and should (or should not) be doing in Iraq. Much of the debate is focused on how to end the war rather than whether or not it should end. Although there remains a relatively large group of Americans who, following the example of our current president, George Bush, support the war, these numbers have drastically fallen since the spring of 2003. According to pollingreport.com, in April 2003, 75% of Americans approved of the way George Bush was handling the war in Iraq. Currently, only 30% of Americans maintain that opinion. This decline in support is for good reason.

As even the most politically disinterested Americans become aware of the disastrous state of our economy, it seems unreal that the United States government continues to expend funds and employ troops in Iraq. A poll done by CNN on March 19 reveals that 71% of Americans felt as though the spending in Iraq is responsible current economic state of the U.S., most likely because of the nearly .5 trillion dollars that has been spent in Iraq. There are currently 155,000 troops deployed in Iraq and nearly 4,000 deaths have ensued thus far. War protesters view these deaths and expenditures as unnecessary and detrimental beyond any potential gain in continuing the war.

Over the past week, anti-war activists celebrated the fifth anniversary of the war with protests across the nation, but Bush maintains and defends his decision to invade Iraq and his opinion that the war should continue until the U.S. has won. He stated on March 19 that “there is an understandable debate over whether the war was worth fighting, whether the fight is worth winning, and whether we can win it” but goes on to say that if he could, he would persist in the war until the U.S. is victorious. How he defines “victory” may be a prominent divider between his vision and those who are against the war.

In fact, what Bush regards as “victory” is difficult to define at all. Attempts to impose democracy upon the Iraqi people haven’t been successful and the goal of the U.S. to secure the nation has made little headway. How long will the U.S. continue to deploy troops and spend the money of taxpayers before we can claim success in securing the Iraqi nation? Unfortunately, much of the damage that has been done is irreversible and if U.S. troops are removed too quickly, results could be devastating for both Iraq and the United States.

Bumper stickers and front yard signs across the nation proclaim “support our troops – end the war.” Easier said than done, my friends, easier said than done.