The Iraq War was orphaned from the beginning. It had no natural constituencies either at home or abroad. As a result it has been a topsy-turvy war, plagued from the first by ironies, contradictions and inconsistencies. But the ironies seen in Iraq are not unique. The United States has seen greater opposition to other wars and other presidents. Lincoln’s popularity declined sharply after Gettysburg. Truman left office with a 22% approval rating.
