Interesting

: Growing Number in U.S. Back War, Survey Finds. The part that catches my eye is growing impatience with the UN:

The poll found that 58 percent of Americans said the United Nations was doing a poor job in managing the Iraqi crisis, a jump of 10 points from a month ago. And 55 percent of respondents in the latest poll would support an American invasion of Iraq, even if it was in defiance of a vote of the Security Council.

And, given the economy, this is also interesting:

But with Mr. Bush continuing to enjoy a relatively high approval rating in this poll --56 percent-- it is clear that his presidency is being judged largely by his conduct of foreign affairs and the potential war.

And while a majority, 52%, still think the inspectors should be given more time, that number is down from 62%. It is amusing, however, that the NYT story mentions this data twice in the text:

• But a majority of respondents, 52 percent, say inspectors should be given more time to search for evidence of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons on the ground in Iraq.
• Although a majority of respondents still support giving weapons inspectors more time, that number has decreased to 52 percent from 62 percent two weeks ago.

And statements like this make me realize that some folks live in FantasyLand:

"As far as the United Nations goes, I feel it is the last hope of our humanity, our last hope of order," said Allan Gold, 81, of Lynbrook, N.Y., a Democrat. "I think they have to be in charge of our decisions. If the weapons inspectors have more time, they may uncover something dangerous."

For one thing, the inspectors have uncovered "something dangerous" and it is clear Saddam is trying to hide other dangerous somethings. Further, how (and this is the key question) is the UN going to maintain order? Further, I would argue that this war has the potential to foster long-term order, while sitting around hoping for the best will likely foster long-term chaos.

Posted by Steven Taylor at March 11, 2025 06:47 AM | TrackBack