One thing is certain. VietNam was very much like VietNam. In 1972 after 8 years of war where 58 thousand American troops (mostly draftees) died, Richard Nixon won the biggest re-election victory of the 20th century.
If Iraq does for Bush what VietNam did for Richard Nixon, Bush wins 61 percent to 37.5 percent.
If Iraq does for Bush what WWII did for Franklin Roosevelt in 1944 then Bush wins 53 to 46.
Nixon did a lot better with Viet Nam as the issue in 72 than FDR did with WWII in 1944.
Oh just for the record in the summer 1944 we had just done little except take some worthless sand in Africa, and a couple of islands in the South Pacific. We were in danger of losing the war in Europe and Asia. It did not look all that good.
We had done little in the Asian theater except take a few islands. We had not bombed Japan and we were in real trouble in China. WE were losing bombers at a fantastic rate in Europe. Victory was anything but certain.
Today's media would have thought that after the first 3, long, non productive, WWII, years all was lost. But we were a little over a year and a three quarters from total victory.
Our major media is our worst enemy and none of us should ever forget it.
Did you know that reporters were drafted into the military in WWII. Everything they wrote or said on the air had to be approved by military censors before it could be aired. Failure of the war reporters to get approval before filing a story, could be punished by death by firing squad.
All battlefield reporters were drafted and given a rank equal to a 2nd john... but with no command authority. They were all subject to military law.
I often wonder if Tom Brokaw would like to report the war news under the rules adopted by the GREATEST GENERATION.
Well, Doolittle....