“Sometimes, war is sold like a consumer product, where there’s a lot of hype and a lot of hope,” said Bill Astore, a retired U.S. Air Force veteran and a senior fellow with the Eisenhower Media Network. “That is contrary to the reality we often see.”
The perception is that things are out of control.
My strong sense is that the lesson in every subsequent administration has been to try and keep military action off the front pages as absolutely as much as possible.