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Iraq War Like Vietnam for 52% of Americans
- Many adults in the United States observe similarities in the coalition effort and the Vietnam War, according to a poll by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN. 52 per cent of respondents think the war in Iraq has turned into a situation like the United States faced in Vietnam.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 2,729 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 20,600 troops have been wounded in action. An American military intervention in Vietnam left more than 1.5 million dead from 1964 to 1975, including 58,226 U.S. soldiers.
In April 2004, Democratic Massachusetts senator Edward Kennedy stated that the war in Iraq had become the current administration's "Vietnam." U.S. president George W. Bush rejected the suggestion, saying that it "sends the wrong message to our troops and sends the wrong message to the enemy.
Yesterday, Bush ruled out setting a timetable for the end of the coalition effort,declaring, "We are doing honourable work in a messy and dangerous world. By defending ourselves, by standing with our friends abroad, we're meeting our responsibilities as freedom's home and defender, and we are securing the peace that freedom brings." 58 per cent of respondents think the Bush administration has deliberately misled the American public about how the war in Iraq is going.
Polling Data
Do you think the war in Iraq has turned into a situation like the United States faced in the Vietnam War, or don't you think so?
Like Vietnam | 52% |
Don't think so | 45% |
Unsure | 3% |
Do you think the Bush administration has deliberately misled the American public about how the war in Iraq is going or don't you think so?
Deliberately misled | 58% |
Don't think so | 45% |
Unsure | 3% |
Source: Opinion Research Corporation / CNN
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,014 American adults, conducted from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.