THE PLANK SEPTEMBER 22, 2009
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Check out the new Pew poll about Afghanistan. Most Americans don't believe things are going well there, and support for withdrawal is rising. But a surprisingly high number still believe strongly in the basic objective:
Nonetheless, a sizable majority of the public (76%) views the possibility of the Taliban regaining control of Afghanistan as a major threat to the well-being of the United States. In fact, nearly as many regard the Taliban regaining control of Afghanistan as a major threat as say that about Iran possibly developing nuclear weapons (82%).
I think this means there is a substantial bloc of people who consider a Taliban takeover to be a "major threat," but still want withdrawal "as soon as possible." I'm not sure that's a particularly coherent position, unless it means, "Let's hurry up and beat the Taliban so we can withdraw as soon as possible!" Which I think is a fairly universal position.
3 comments
I don't see the incoherence. They see a Taliban takeover as a major threat but think that either the US can't stop it and is just wasting blood and treasure trying, or that stopping it would be even more damaging than a Taliban takeover would be. I hate to use the hackneyed Vietnam analogy, but I'm sure there were a lot of people who didn't want to see south Vietnam turn communist but thought the US should withdraw ASAP too.
- Simon Greenwood
September 22, 2009 at 3:16pm
pew: Nonetheless, a sizable majority of the public (76%) views the possibility of the Taliban regaining control of Afghanistan as a major threat to the well-being of the United States. In fact, nearly as many regard the Taliban regaining control of Afghanistan as a major threat as say that about Iran possibly developing nuclear weapons (82%). george: And I'm one of them. If it is at all possible to come up with an effective strategy to keep the Taliban and Al Queda religious fanatics from regaining power in Afghanistan [and strenghtening their role in nuclear armed Pakistan] surely any sane mind would back it to the hilt. And Bush might have accomplished it long before had he not sidetracked victory there [and the overwhelming support of nations around the globe] by occupying Iraq instead. It is not possible to overestimate this bungling fool's harm here. But CAN Obama and the generals pull it off? Without killing off all the Afghani citizens in predator attacks beforehand? After all, "[l]et's hurry up and beat the Taliban so we can withdraw as soon as possible!", is about 8 years behind scedule. george
- iambiguous
September 22, 2009 at 3:28pm
Poll: Majority of moviegoers want to see Jennifer Aniston dump womanizing cad; marry sensitive male lead. Poll: Cancer cure still favored by majority of non-cancerous organisms Poll: Americans support rescue of woman tied to railroad tracks, comeuppance of overacting mustachioed villain.
- adaglas
September 22, 2009 at 3:50pm