When all you have is a hammer,
everything looks like a nail
This latest bit of good tidings comes from the good folks at Gallup, who observe that while most Americans oppose military action against the New and Improved Axis of Evil (North Korea, Iran, and Syria), Republicans continue to lead the charge in our Great Selfless War for Democratic Globalization. (Note: You can access this poll and others by setting up a free 30-day subscription. Or you can take my word on this.)
The people responding affirmatively to these questions are also -- as Gallup demonstrates elsewhere -- are also the folks willing to sink the nation even further into debt by privatizing Social Security (62% of Republicans think this would be a "good idea") and making Bush's tax cuts permanent. These are also the people who live in Gumdrop Forest, where magical Neo-Liberal Free Market Fairies sprinkle the world with a fine, sugary coat of denial.
Republicans Most Willing to Back Military Action
For all three countries, opinion of military action varies along partisan lines. Republicans are significantly more likely than independents and Democrats to say they would favor military action:
Forty-six percent of Republicans would favor military action in North Korea, compared with 26% of independents and 23% of Democrats.
Forty-three percent of Republicans would favor military action in Iran, compared with 23% of independents and 17% of Democrats.
Thirty-nine percent of Republicans would favor military action in Syria, compared with 23% of independents and 13% of Democrats.
*These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,008 adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Feb. 25-27, 2005. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
The people responding affirmatively to these questions are also -- as Gallup demonstrates elsewhere -- are also the folks willing to sink the nation even further into debt by privatizing Social Security (62% of Republicans think this would be a "good idea") and making Bush's tax cuts permanent. These are also the people who live in Gumdrop Forest, where magical Neo-Liberal Free Market Fairies sprinkle the world with a fine, sugary coat of denial.
