IU community unsure of Iraq, US future after president's speech

As President George Bush delivered a speech Thursday night aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln claiming victory in the war against Iraq, reaction to Bush's speech varied across campus. \nFor sophomore Ben Crouse, Bush's speech represented a confirmation about the necessity of fighting in Iraq.\n"I think we've asserted ourselves on the international front and shown that we're not going to balk at invading another country," Crouse said. \nHowever, he said he won't deem the operation a complete victory until democracy is established in the country.\n"I'd like to see a nice stable government set up in Iraq," Crouse said. "I'd like to see weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq. Basically, I'd like to see (long-term) success."\nMatthew Auer, an associate professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, said establishing a new government is not going to occur immediately. \n"It is going to take generations to have a strong democracy there," Auer said. "What the Bush administration is trying to do is something that is very difficult."\nAuer said one of the biggest problems American forces will face is differences in culture within Iraq, differences that did not exist under Saddam Hussein.\n"What you had under Saddam Hussein was a suppression of these differences between different racial and ethnic groups," Auer said. \nDuring his speech, Bush gave credit to the American troops who fought in the conflict and reiterated the links between Saddam Hussein and Iraq and the events of Sept. 11. While Bush's speech intended to offer the nation a sense of closure to combat, Bush's speech also provided an opportunity to respond to critics of the war by praising its effectiveness. \nEdward Carmines, professor of political science, said Bush can use the success of the Iraqi conflict to build momentum for his 2004 presidential campaign.\n"It is important for him because there was a good deal of division about whether we should go to war with Iraq at this time," Carmines said.\nWhile the Bush administration now plans on focusing homeland issues, Carmines said the war has made one of Bush's primary political objectives more difficult. He said the cost of war has made Bush's plans for tax cuts more difficult.\n"(The war) has led to a situation where deficits are growing larger," Carmines said. \nIn addition to tax cuts, the Bush administration plans to continue to focus on rebuilding Iraq. \nAuer said bringing this change in Iraq is necessary so the American people feel the conflict was about more than ousting Saddam Hussein.\n"I think most Americans want to see the Bush administration win peace (permanently), just as it appears we have won the war now," Auer said. \nIn spite of all the war coverage over the past few months, Crouse said he still plans to continue to follow the situation in Iraq.\n"A lot of it is still up in the air," Crouse said.