Hawks and doves where the two main sections that the US population was divided into, in regards to their view about war:
Hawks, as the predatory nature of the bird hints, were the people who <em>supported the war</em>, thinking that the United States had to do whatever was necesasary to win.
Doves, which are usually a symbol of peace, represented the people who were against war, and thought that the US had no right to intervene in the conflict.