Editorial
Iraq: Not Just a Vietnam Rerun
Issue date: 4/1/08 Section: News
USA Today and CNN have
asked it. Even President George
W. Bush conceded in a 2006 interview
that it was a valid point. The
question of whether or not Iraq
is the Vietnam of the 21st century
is one that many Americans
have contemplated since the war
turned into a bitter and sluggish
endeavor for U.S. troops. Like an
aging television show borrowing
from the past, Iraq might be
seen by many as all too similar
a plotline to Vietnam. But if one
takes a closer look, they'll find
two key differences. Unlike Iraq,
the Vietnam War was economically
stimulating for the United
States; and despite Vietnam dragging
on for a decade, Americans
remained glued to their television
sets for the latest news. On the
fifth anniversary of the invasion
of Iraq, the public has never been
less interested.
A March CNN/Opinion Research
Corporation poll indicated
that 71 percent of Americans think
spending in Iraq is the reason for
the country's economic problems.
The National Post confirmed this,
saying that "the war, and its reckless
execution, affects the worldby hurting the economy, trade
flows, fragile credit markets and
currency values."
Though many may have
thought the Vietnam War hurt our
economy, it also created a near
fully employed labor force. According
to the article The Vietnam
War and the Political Economy of
Full Employment, "full employment
brought with it higher wages,
better working conditions, and
less job discrimination against
women, African Americans, and
other minorities." While there
were economic woes during that
period, many forget that inflation
rose in 1965.
Declining like our economy is
media coverage of Iraq. The Pew
Research Center's Project for
Excellence in Journalism (PEJ),
which measures news content in
newspapers, websites, television
and radio, reported that Iraq took
15.5 percent of total media coverage
asked it. Even President George
W. Bush conceded in a 2006 interview
that it was a valid point. The
question of whether or not Iraq
is the Vietnam of the 21st century
is one that many Americans
have contemplated since the war
turned into a bitter and sluggish
endeavor for U.S. troops. Like an
aging television show borrowing
from the past, Iraq might be
seen by many as all too similar
a plotline to Vietnam. But if one
takes a closer look, they'll find
two key differences. Unlike Iraq,
the Vietnam War was economically
stimulating for the United
States; and despite Vietnam dragging
on for a decade, Americans
remained glued to their television
sets for the latest news. On the
fifth anniversary of the invasion
of Iraq, the public has never been
less interested.
A March CNN/Opinion Research
Corporation poll indicated
that 71 percent of Americans think
spending in Iraq is the reason for
the country's economic problems.
The National Post confirmed this,
saying that "the war, and its reckless
execution, affects the worldby hurting the economy, trade
flows, fragile credit markets and
currency values."
Though many may have
thought the Vietnam War hurt our
economy, it also created a near
fully employed labor force. According
to the article The Vietnam
War and the Political Economy of
Full Employment, "full employment
brought with it higher wages,
better working conditions, and
less job discrimination against
women, African Americans, and
other minorities." While there
were economic woes during that
period, many forget that inflation
rose in 1965.
Declining like our economy is
media coverage of Iraq. The Pew
Research Center's Project for
Excellence in Journalism (PEJ),
which measures news content in
newspapers, websites, television
and radio, reported that Iraq took
15.5 percent of total media coverage
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