Why isn't Iraq an issue?

I've wondered why Iraq isn't more of a campaign issue. Joshua Marshall, Legal Fiction, and others have claimed that Kerry needs better rhetoric to highlight Bush's failures in Iraq. However, in my mind something more fundamental is involved: people just don't want to think about Iraq.

Even as a news junkie who strongly opposed the Iraq war from the beginning, I have to force myself to keep up with the Iraq situation. It's depressing to hear about the continual stream of American war dead, not to mention the larger numbers of wounded Americans and dead Iraqis. And despite that human cost, the situation over there continues to worsen. Plus, Abu Ghraib and other injustices present an uncomfortable view of America. For many people, it's tempting to push Iraq out of their thoughts.

Similarly, there isn't a compelling narrative that supplies an emotional context for the war. Bush's mantra of freedom, democracy, self-defense, fighting terror, etc., may be factually challenged, but it's something people can relate to. An anti-war credo only appeals to people who will vote for Kerry anyway. Also, since nobody can suggest a strategy for addressing the problems in Iraq, we end up with a hopeless situation that nobody wants to think about.

An issue needs a solid emotional core that everyone can grasp, such as Bush fighting terror or Clinton caring about our economic struggles. The situation in Iraq, despite its importance, is too messy to be reduced to such a message. Everyone just wants the problems there to fade away.