War support continues to drop

President Bush continues to crisscross the country on a crusade to shore up flagging public support for the war in Iraq.? He remains resolved to winning that war, despite growing pessimism, at home and abroad.

More than three years into the war, parts of Iraq are still a cauldron of chaos and carnage.?Despite the best efforts of responsible leaders, assassinations, bombings and other terrorist acts continue to occur daily in Iraq.? ?

President Bush has complained, and rightly so, that the American media have not been even-handed in their reporting on events in Iraq.?Television coverage tends to focus more on the bad and ugly, and less on the good that is happening every day in Iraq.?

For example, the vast majority of the civil strife and violence in Iraq has been confined to just three of its 18 provinces.? That may be cold comfort to those three, but it is a clear sign of progress for a problem-plagued nation.

Another sign of progress in Iraq is the growing capability of Iraqi security forces to take on new roles and missions in defending their own country.?Ultimate success in this area will require Shiites and Sunnis alike to cooperate in building a national military that has both the capability and the credibility to serve the country, not just factions of it.

So far, President Bush hasn?t made much headway in changing public opinion on his handling of the war in Iraq.? For example, a recent Gallup Poll found only 38 percent of the American people think the war is going well, down from 46 percent just two months ago.?Only 32 percent think the president has a clear plan for winning the war. However, only 25 percent think the Democrats have a clear plan either.?

Still, President Bush needs to continue to state and to make his case for victory in Iraq.?Clearly, he believes we are on the right track.?Others are not so sure. ??Only time will tell whose vision will prove to be true. Meanwhile, the president faces two major obstacles to victory in Iraq.

The first obstacle is the situation on the ground in Iraq.?What happens there in the next few months is crucial. If the good outweighs the bad and the ugly, Iraq just may be able to survive, and someday even thrive, as a peaceful, relatively democratic nation.?

The president can wish this, but he cannot will it.? Neither can the military and economic might of the United States. That outcome must spring from the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people.

The second obstacle is lack of robust public support for American participation in the war in Iraq. Patience is not high on the list of American virtues.? This is especially true when it comes to war.?We prefer our wars to be brief and decisive.

Unlike the first Persian Gulf War, this one has become long and tenuous.?Our enemies know our patience is limited- and they know how to exploit our impatience for their purposes.

Thomas B. Vaughn is a professor at Motlow College and co-host of the radio show ?Viewpoints,? which airs on 91.3 FM.