Polls & Research

Iraq War Like Vietnam for 64% of Americans

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States believe the situation in Iraq is similar to what transpired during their country's military involvement in Vietnam, according to a poll by CBS News. 64 per cent of respondents think the comparison is warranted, because a small commitment at first can lead to years of conflict without clear results.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,063 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 23,100 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."

On Jan. 23 in his State of the Union address, Bush discussed the current state of affairs, saying, "The war on terror we fight today is a generational struggle that will continue long after you and I have turned our duties over to others. And that's why it's important to work together so our nation can see this great effort through." 80 per cent of respondents believe there will still be a significant number of American troops in Iraq when Bush's second term expires in January 2009.

Polling Data

Do you think that getting involved with Iraq in the Middle East is a lot like getting involved in Vietnam in the 1960's, in which a small commitment at first can lead to years of conflict without clear results, or is that not such a good comparison?

By the end of George W. Bush's second term in office, do you think there will still be a significant number of American troops in Iraq, or not?