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U.S. Sees Similarities in Vietnam, Iraq Wars
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many people in the United States believe their country should have never engaged in the Vietnam and Iraq wars, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 49 per cent of respondents think the U.S.’s biggest mistake in Iraq was getting involved in the first place, while 47 per cent think the same of the conflict in Vietnam.
Conversely, 41 per cent of respondents think the country’s major mistake in Iraq was using the wrong strategy, and 42 per cent have the same opinion about the Vietnam experience.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,752 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 27,700 troops have been wounded in action.
The American military intervention in Vietnam left more than 1.5 million dead from 1964 to 1975, including 58,226 U.S. soldiers.
On Sept. 5, Raymond Odierno—the second American commander in Iraq—said the next three to four months will be crucial to determine whether the U.S. can start reducing the number of troops on the ground in Iraq without risking a breakout of violence, adding, "I think that if we can continue to do what we are doing, we’ll get to such a level where we think we can do it with less troops."
Original Release from Rasmussen Reports
Polling Data
What was the biggest mistake the United States made in the Iraq and Vietnam wars?
Iraq | Vietnam | |
Getting involved in the first place | 49% | 47% |
Using the wrong strategy to accomplish the nation’s goals | 41% | 42% |
Not sure | 10% | 11% |