Why are so many Americans against the Iraq war?

Question

Four years ago it was "72% for the war".

Answer 1

After 9/11, many people felt that Bush was right to go to Iraq because he told us that the Iraqis were harboring terrorists and weapons of mass destruction.

No weapons of mass destruction have been found. Terrorists have come into Iraq from elsewhere since we have been there, due to the chaos WE created.

Bush and his buddies told us that the Iraqis would welcome us as liberators.

Our soldiers (Army,Marines and National Guard) are getting killed over there because a group of Iraqis DOES NOT want us there --and we haven't made anything better. Iraqis are still getting killed by other Iraqis; there is no electricity or safe water in much of the country; many Iraqis do not have jobs because they happened to belong to the Baathist party and were let go from their jobs when the Americans came in.

Bush sent soldiers over there at the beginning of the war without the proper equipment . He has extended the tours of duty for many units and has sent some units back for second and third tours.

Most people feel that we are not making a difference in the safety of our country by being over there. And, thanks to Bush, we have no way to leave Iraq in the near future. We have caused a mess and we need to fix it before we leave.

I was never for the war --- I am still not for the war. We are not there "defending freedom" We are there because Bush wanted to impose his ideas on another part of the world ----and it is not working.

Answer 2

"Liberals" make up a VERY small percentage of the population. In fact, I'd say those 28% that were against the war from the very beginning were probably mostly "liberals." But, how can one explain that the numbers are pretty much reversed 4 years later? Certainly the entire country can't have gone "liberal" over a few years.

The truth is the Americans are becoming weary of the fact that things are progressing far too slowly. I think they realize that the Iraqis are less willing to get with the program, than they should be. Americans are thinking to themselves: Why should Americans stay where 1) We aren't wanted and 2) We are getting little to no help from the countries citizens?

I'm sure Americans are also frustrated that the rationale for war was false and there was no exit strategy ("winning" is not an exit strategy to any military analyst, because "winning" is a fluid term that can mean MANY different things).

Americans see that Iraq has a government, Saddam was deposed and executed, we dissolved the army, etc. Our mission was accomplished. We are now just policing a civil war.

Maliki up until recently has maintained strong tied with militias who were causing some of the violence. He has also in the past committed to things and not followed through.

All these things spell discontent for the American public.

Answer 3

Because Americans are starting to realize that the war was wrong to begin with. Remember that four years ago the American people were being told that Iraq had WMD's but now they know, and have heard it straight from the president's mouth, that Iraq did not have WMD's and the information was wrong. Four years ago American's were told that Iraq had ties to Al-Queda and was partly responsible for 9/11 but now the facts show that Iraq had no ties to what happened on 9/11 or with the terrorists that attacked us. Remember four years ago Americans were led to believe that taking Iraq was going to be a fairly easy task and that we would be welcomed by the Iraqi people because we were freeing them from a tyrant. Now we see that we are far from welcome in that country and the task is more costly than most Americans believed it would be, remember Bush declared victory in Iraq a long time ago thinking the worst was over himself.

I opposed the war in Iraq from the start only because I thought we needed to finish what we started in Afghanistan first, you do realize we spent less time getting Hitler than Osama. I may have opposed the war from the beginning but I do think it's too late to pull out and I think the people who believe we can accomplish anything good by leaving Iraq now are nothing short of mentally handicapped. We may have got there for all the wrong reasons, and based on lies and half truths but now that we are there we have to finish the job so that our future generations don't pay the price.

Answer 4

Many is not most. In the 72% before, the remaining 28% (roughtly 3 out of 10 Americans against war) is still many. Are you saying now that it's kinda 60-40 (4 out of 10 against war)? If that's what you mean, no probs because Pres. Bush will still be senidng soldiers to Iraq...Somalia, later to Iran...much later to Syria....much much later to North Korea until 6 out 10 Americans say "Enough! enough! we have no more sons and fathers to send".

Wake up America! 9 out of 10 nations of the world are asking why we love war which makes them hate us more.

Answer 5

Because for the last four years every single news program on every network except Fox has been leading with the corpse count from Iraq. It is no secret that the terrorists are fighting the war through the media, killing just enough people every day to get coverage and the news media is playing their part in the terrorists strategy. After we deposed Hitler in WWII Nazi terrorist (know as "werewolves") spent the next 10 years trying to destabilize the new government through acts of terror. It was not slavishly covered by the media (in fact it was seen for what it was, the last throws of a defeated enemy) and eventually it went away and now Germany is a functioning democracy and a peaceful nation. Same with Japan.
When bad news is force fed for years then of course most Americans will turn on the war. Nobody likes war, but the media has cast this war as unwinnable because they only cover the negative. I cannot ever remember seeing a news story about something good in Iraq, but when I talk to people who served over there, I hear about how they built schools, helped bring fresh water to villages, provide medical care to Iraqi's and so on
I think we can easily blame the media and their unbridled hatred for bush and disdain for the military for this one

Answer 6

because every reason that we have been given for the invasion of iraq has turned out to be a lie.

the war in iraq has nothing to do with either the war on terror or the 9/11 attacks.

the war is a complete waste of lives and resources.

i can't help but wonder which part of this you don't understand...

Answer 7

It really depends on how the question was asked when they took the polls. Asking the same question in a different manner would give opposite results. Don't believe everything you read. I can probably sum it up for you.

1. Do we want to win? Yes
2. Do we want the troops home? Yes
3. Do we want freedom for the Iraqis? Yes
4. Do we condemn terrorism? Yes
5. Do Democrats want Bush to fall flat on his face? Yes

Combine all of the above and you would get a composite low number for Bush.

Overall I think most Americans will allow Bush this last effort to bring peace in Iraq.

Answer 8

Many Americans do not want the Iraq War because lots of taxpayers' money are deemed being wasted. Likewise, the war was declared because Iraq was accused of possessing weapons of mass destruction but none was found.

Answer 9

I'm not, i enlisted in the navy this summer. I think Presidents get more blame than they deserve. sometimes good things happen and who ever happens to be in office is rewarded for it, but they didnt necesarily do anything to make it happen, just in the right place at right time. sometimes they may have but not always. or something bad happens and the president is said to be the blame. people always think they'd make a better president, but seriously, do they really think that, all of the problems in the world. it would be a tough job and if the president always did what the people wanted (or thought they wanted) we'd probably be in a lot of trouble right now

Answer 10

It's a war for resources despite what the jingoists say.People will not support a resource war unless it is short and painless.It's not a war because of immediate threat.That is the only type of war that people will support long term.