A Quagmire…in the Making? The Vietnam Question.

Considers whether the U.S. occupation of Iraq is turning into a quagmire similar to the war in Vietnam. Discussion of President George W. Bush's statements about America's commitment to completing the job in Iraq, despite recent setbacks; Speculation about whether the American people will be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to bring stability and democracy to Iraq; Results of polls on Americans' attitudes towards the occupation; Observation that the occupation of Iraq may be more similar in some ways to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon than the Vietnam war; Claim that there are parallels between Iraq and Vietnam, including the battlefield challenges, the debate over whether to send more troops, the nationalism of the Iraqi people, and the possibility that Iraq--like Vietnam--could turn into an open-ended war for vague or shifting strategic aims on behalf of an ungrateful people; Observation that both Iraq and Vietnam were wars of choice; Comparison between Bush's advisers and Vietnam-era defense secretary Robert McNamara; Claim that the administration's biggest fear is that the U.S. will lose its credibility if it abandons Iraq.