Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Volume 2, Number 32 September 15 - 21, 2002 Quezon City, Philippines |
Electoral
War? The
Republican Bush administration may use Iraq as a launching pad for its electoral
campaign. The vagueness of the public sentiment on the possibility of the United
States going to another war may transform itself in favor of a war against Iraq. By
Alexander Martin Remollino With
elections for representatives barely two months away in the United States,
issues concerning the overall "fight against terrorism" and the
planned war against Iraq bear profound implications for the immediate future of
the ruling Republican Party. A
year ago, polls conducted among Americans revealed an eagerness to go to war
against Afghanistan. That was immediately after the terrorist attacks on the
World Trade Center and the Pentagon. This week, the results of a survey
conducted by The New York Times show that about half of the respondents believe
the Bush administration had done enough to protect them against terrorism. In
the survey, only one in ten believed the administration had made "a lot of
progress" in fighting off terrorist threats from nations other than
Afghanistan. One-fourth of the respondents and one third of those from the
northeastern parts felt uneasy, believing they were not safe from another
terrorist attack. The
survey also reveals a drop in confidence among the American public with regards
the government's efforts to combat terrorism. Last year three-fifths of
Americans believed the government had done enough to protect them against
terrorism; only two-fifths believe so today. Osama
bin Laden is still used as a sort of measuring stick of success in the Afghan
war. Sixty-one percent said they believed the Bush administration cannot claim
to have won the war in Afghanistan unless bin Laden is captured or killed. Fifty
percent of the respondents were asked whether the United States should attack
"another country" if it did not attack first. Of these, 47 percent
believed it should not do so, while 41 percent said it should. The other half
were asked the same question, but with "Iraq" used instead of
"another country." Sixty-one percent favored a preemptive attack and
26 percent opposed it. These
figures reveal a public indecision on the prospect of the United States going to
another war. To a generic question on how registered voters planned to vote in
November, the Democrats showed a negligible edge of 41 percent to 37 percent.
This gap is too small to foretell results. But among voters 45 years of age and
above, who comprise three-fifths of the off-year electorate, the Democrats had a
significant advantage. Uncertainty The
combination of misgivings about the success of the overall "war on
terrorism" and the ambivalence on the possibility of another war spells an
uncertainty for the Republicans in the coming House elections. While the
Democrats, on the whole, cannot yet claim a certain victory, public sentiments
on the overall "war against terrorism" and the planned war against
Iraq may translate themselves into votes against the Republicans. In
the light of this, the Republican Bush administration may use Iraq as a
launching pad for its electoral campaign. The vagueness of the public sentiment
on the possibility of the United States going to another war may transform
itself in favor of a war against Iraq. While there is lack of confidence in the
government on its achievements in the "war against terrorism," this
may tilt in favor of the administration party should it pursue the war against
Iraq. The Bush administration may use Iraq to regain eroding public sympathy. Circumstances
therefore seem to suggest that the planned war against Iraq would not be just a
war against Iraq - it will most probably be also an electoral war of the
Republicans against the Democrats. Bulatlat.com We want to know what you think of this article.
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