But concerning the occupation of Iraq, I get the impression that a large number of Americans are not so painfully concerned with the fallacious basis for the war as they are with the fact that the U.S. isn’t—pardon the expression—”kicking ass.” This isn’t because Americans are simple-minded beastly warmongers, and I thank you sincerely for this observation. It’s because the vast majority of Americans still get what information they have of the conflicts in the Middle East from the U.S. news media, and the news media here does not concern itself with discussion of the broader topics underpinning the Iraq War. It concerns itself with critical analysis on the play-by-play—not “Is what we’re doing right?” but “Are we doing it right?”

I agree with JR, the erosion of support was to an extent inevitable as the true pretexts for war were laid bare. But I also think it is important to realize that we are dealing with realpolitik—the erosion of ideological support may be underway, but the real support lies in tax dollars that are ever forthcoming.

Great quotes you’ve posted here—they complement one another totally.

Once the lies were widely exposed, erosion of support was a certainty.