Oct 30, 2008 7:33 pm US/Central
Economy Top Issue, But Iraq Still On Voters' Minds
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (AP) ―
-
-
An Iraqi (L) and an U.S. soldier provide security for an armed forces parade at a football stadium in the Wasit provincial capital of Kut on Oct. 29, 2008, during a ceremony for the official transfer of control of the Shiite province.
Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images
For all the talk about the economy, voters have the war in Iraq on their minds, too, in the leadup to Election Day. They're worried about supporting the troops and caring for war veterans, debating who can best lead the military, and wondering how and when the U.S. should get out.
Democrat Barack Obama rose above his primary opponents in part because his opposition to the war gave him an argument for judgment that he would use throughout the remainder of his campaign.
Republican John McCain was largely written off as a candidate until the security situation in Iraq improved under the surge strategy that he had long advocated.
An Associated Press-Yahoo News survey taken this month shows that 74 percent of voters say the war in Iraq remains a very important or extremely important issue for them.
Come Nov. 5, the president-elect will face protracted conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan that so far have cost the lives of more than 4,000 coalition troops and left more than 65,000 wounded.
"The insurgencies we face today are really, I'd say, the most complex in history," said Dr. Conrad Crane, director of the U.S Army Military History Institute in Carlisle, Pa.
"What we are running into in places like Iraq are nested insurgencies. A bunch of different combatants and different problems. Often they each take a different approach, which makes for a very complex campaign plan."
As the new president takes office, he will be striving to draw down American forces without compromising still-fragile gains in Iraq.
"It won't be a walk in the park; there will still be some violence there. It will be a situation that may not seem to us like a perfect security environment. But as long as it's acceptable to Iraqis, and the region remains stable, that should be acceptable to us," Crane said.
A look at how four Americans view the war in Iraq:
ANDREW BROWN, 36, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
When Brown, an Army reservist, returned from Iraq in 2005, he sought treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. What he got was a seemingly endless cycle of paperwork and delays.
Brown eventually met with a psychiatrist who gave him medication for his anxiety. The side effect -- a downward spiral into a suicidal depression.
"Very shortly after taking the prescribed dose, I found myself on the floor in my apartment, in tears, with my pistol in my mouth," Brown said.
The experience led him to look elsewhere for help: He relies almost entirely on the support of his fellow soldiers and prayer to cope with his PTSD.
Brown is now a representative for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a nonpartisan advocacy group, and pushes for better medical care at veteran's hospitals, which are often underfunded and understaffed.
"They are unable to provide the level of care, in a lot of instances, that the soldiers need," he said.
In 2005, Brown watched millions of Iraqis head to the polls for their first free election in more than 50 years. Though he declined to say who he's supporting for president, he hopes more Americans take an example from the Iraqis and turn out to vote.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
CBS News Interactive: Battle For Iraq 
About The Candidates & Issues
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
