CBS POLL: SUPPORT FOR WAR INCREASES, BUT DECREASES FOR UN

CBS has done a good job showing how polling questions can be phrased to get varying answers. So, which question gets more to the heart of the issue? Do you support war against Iraq without UN approval? Do you support war against Iraq if France, Russia and China veto a new resolution? 55% say do it without UN approval, but only 44% say do it even with a veto from France, Russia and China. Besides showing that at least 11% of the public are too stupid to be permitted suffrage, this kind of result gives an opportunity for some creative writing. The headline writer on CBS says "Poll: Losing Patience With The U.N." That's a fair summary. But the author of the story on the poll hits early with "Support for U.S. military action remains high, though less than half believe the U.S. should move ahead if France, Russia or China uses its veto power to block a U.S.-sponsored resolution in the Security Council." Both are true and both give different impressions.

Fine. Faced with some idiotic inconsistencies in answers, its hard to know which results are most important.. But does it really matter? It probably did to the 42nd President, but a principled President will only care about polls for determining how to market his policies, not to determine what will be American policy. In any case, it looks like people are beginning to recognize the idiocy of the U.N., and that maybe U.S. foreign policy should not require the approval of France or Chile.