Other than Ted Kennedy’s “quagmire” remark, I’d honestly have to contend that the main reason public opinion on the war is declining is because the situation on the ground is deteriorating. The old defense/counterargument to the realities of the Iraq war went something like this: “Sure, they blew up a hotel, but at least there was a hotel there to blow up! And there are 25% more hotels now than there were when Saddam was in power!”
You can’t keep putting perfume on shit and then blame everyone else when people actually notice that it’s shit. Nobody’s saying that war supporters have to repent in the streets, wailing a threnody for the Iraqi occupation, but it would be nice if the severe problems with the occupation of Iraq could be addressed without blaming them on the people who point out their existence.
Actually, I wouldn’t mind seeing a little more repenting in the streets, myself. But it’ll never happen — they’ll just keep pouring out entire bottles of perfume, hoping against hope that it will mask the stench of failure.