Looking back at the interviews, both Harold and Helen opposed the war strongly. They each claimed that they feel that same way now with the war in Iraq too. In regard to the war today, Helen stated, “Why can’t they just fight their own battles over there, without us?” She feels so strongly against it that she wishes we at least didn’t have to fight. Harold claimed that he felt the president is doing wrong spending billions of dollars to fight people over there, when we should be concentrating on improving our own country with the money. There are others who seem to feel this same way about the amount of money being spent on the war. Michael Swartz, who wrote an article for the Lansing State Journal, claims that “The president has asked for $87 billion for the situation in Iraq.” Swartz urges representatives and senators to be responsible in accounting where this money goes. He also added that, “The Los Angeles Times puts an estimate of an additional $55 billion to rebuild Iraq alone. How will this impact our enormous budget deficit?” These opinions deal with some very hard to answer topics and are in high demand of discussion today. Another contributor to this discussion, Peter Hulen, brought forth even more disturbing facts in relation to the amount of money being spent. In his article Hulen stated, “ Half a trillion has gone for war and occupation, benefiting none but the wealthy interests profiting from them, including corporations directly connected with the Bush administration.” These opinions show that at large portion of America is concerned with the war, what it’s doing and how it’s affecting us as a nation.

The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll shows public support for the Iraq war holding steady, with a slight majority expressing support for the effort. However, Americans’ assessments of how the United States has handled the postwar situation are less positive, as more disapprove than approve, and a majority of Americans now favor a reduction in the number of U.S. troops in Iraq. The public is also divided over whether the war has positively or negatively affected the United States in general and whether it has made the nation safer from terrorism. (Pg. 1 of Poll Analysis packet)

Looking at the present war with Iraq, there is also much controversy in public opinion. According to a poll taken by the Gallup News Service in Oct. of 2003, 54% of Americans said that Iraq “was worth going to war over,” while 44% said it was not. These same numbers apply to those who favor it- 54% and those who oppose it- 44%. However, results from several questions in the poll indicate the public overall is somewhat less supportive of the postwar situation. A majority of the public, 57% now favors a reduction in the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, including 18% who favor a complete withdrawal. To summarize the Gallup Polls’ findings in all their polls they stated:

Growing opposition to the war became the focal point for strong, organized political movements that carried their concern over into more fundamental questions about America’s social structure, its values, and its economic priorities. Thus the war itself became a critical incident in how public opinion on any subject of significance is always inseparable from the whole texture of prevailing idea. (90)

War will always bring about much emotion and controversy from those who are affected by it. Before WWII

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