Iraq War Won't Be Decided By Congress Alone--Whether Republican or Democrat

Americans' keen desire to affect the Iraq War and U.S. troop levels has galvanized opinions and made the 2006 Congressional elections among the few to turn on a foreign policy issue. Polls at the end of October consistently show that Iraq has trumped every other issue, including terrorism and the economy, as a key voting factor.

We Americans also have come to believe that Congressional control will significantly affect how the U.S. engages in the Iraq War, especially as regards troop levels. As the New York Times reported on November 2, recent polls show that:

A substantial majority of Americans expect Democrats to reduce or end American military involvement in Iraq if they win control of Congress next Tuesday and say Republicans will maintain or increase troop levels to try to win the war if they hold on to power on Capitol Hill.

Fact is: Neither party has as much control as they claim over what will happen in Iraq. Read more ...

For additional views on the 2006 elections and homeland security, Iraq, terrorism and related civil liberties issues, check out:

• Civil Liberties Guide Tom Head with sources and candidate scorecards on civil liberties issues;
• Globalization Guide Keith Porter on other foreign policy issues on voters' minds;
• Conservative Politics Guide Amy Hess' conservative voter's guide;
• U.S. Liberals Guide Deborah White with resources for Democrats.

Photo by Aubrey Arcangel