The book finds that the most important consideration for the public is the expectation of success. If the public believes that a mission will succeed, the public will support it even if the costs are high. When the public does not expect the mission to succeed, even small costs will cause the withdrawal of support. Providing a wealth of new evidence about American attitudes toward military conflict,

Includes bibliographical references (p. 265-282) and index.

Theories of American attitudes toward warfare -- America's tolerance for casualties, 1950-2006 -- Measuring individual attitudes twoward military conflict -- Experimental evidence on attitudes toward military conflict -- Individual attitudes toward the Iraq War, 2003-2004 -- Iraq the vote: war and the presidential election of 2004 -- The sources and meaning of success in Iraq -- Conclusion.