Arms inspectors vote on BBC

Jon Johanning jjohanning at igc.org
Tue Feb 11 17:25:37 PST 2003


My take on the state of U.S. public opinion about the impending war is that a larger proportion of Americans are against it, or at least have negative feelings and forebodings about it, than most polls show. But far from being ignorant bumpkins, most Americans are pretty knowledgeable about how the political system works, and how likely it is to respond to what they really think about the war. They are also well aware that Bush is determined to push ahead with it whatever anyone says -- Americans, French, Germans, or anyone else. (Anyone remember Pete Seeger's "Waist deep in the Big Muddy/And the big fool says to push on?") And they are too busy with their private lives, trying to make a buck and keep their heads above water, to spend time quixotically protesting what seems to be inevitable.

Given this, it is well nigh astounding that the poll figures for opposition to the war are as large as they are, even after Powell's big show at the UN, and that turn-outs for demos, both local and national, have been as big as they have been. They seem to indicate that a sizable segment of the people, beyond the reliable peace activist types, is moved enough to express opposition in some fashion or other.

Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org _____________________________ Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. - Groucho Marx



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