Is the shift in polling opinion on Iraq due to DSM news, or merely the

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

natural consequence of the passage of time, no obvious "gain", and continued deaths and carnage there?

[pinkpops]

1. I select reason #2

[EVDebs]

2. Just sinking in that it's really "Iraq-nam" and the LIES

They've lied about EVERYTHING, not just Iraq, so when the public sees the Social Security deceptions, the DSM, the drug benefit lies and deceptions, the latest b.s. from the EPA that allows 'rewrites' of EPA regulations in favor of business, and they realize that healthcare and pension lies are soon to come, they know that their friendly local Republican Congressman or woman was IN CHARGE, not those quisling Dems. They will know who to lay the blame on. Besides, only 29 congress seats and voila, impeachment is coming.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. You know, I think it's because the truth is coming from Britain.

I think Americans have come to believe that anything from an American politician's mouth, is a lie. And anything from the American media, is a lie. And there is a counter for everything. Conservatives don't respect the "liberal media," and everybody who doesn't watch FoxNews doesn't believe anyone. But here you have a Scot coming to Congress throwing the truth at us like hot water on a pig, and the source for the DSM, is also british.

We finally blinked in unison.

[jzodda]

3. #2

#2

Most people do not even know what DSM even is. I tested that theory today and asked 10 people both friends and family aged 20-50's and not one even heard of it and these are all educated people

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

5. Yes this is my gut feeling as well. I think DU political junkies way

overestimate the awareness of the average American about stuff like DSM even when it IS covered well. And all the Durbin/Cheney/Rove noise recently has done a fair job of covering over what coverage there's been.

That having been said, I think it's probably a good thing if it's just due to the passage of time and people realizing how horrible this is and not a "cakewalk" like they were told.

Because if it was due even to something as important as DSM, that one item could be "debunked" or discredited in some typical sleazy Rovian fashion and its impact defused.

But if it's due to people actually waking up to the horror of this, that's a lot more difficult to defuse.

[Bouncy Ball]

4. Reason #2.

I've talked to people who have said they are "sick of this Iraq shit" (exact words). So it's not that they've gained this new compassion for the Iraqi people, it's that they thought this would be fast and easy, and over two years later it's a big FUBAR mess.

[stevans_41902]

6. Its amazing how so few americans have heard about DSM.

But then again if I weren't on DU I might not have known about it either.

[Lexingtonian]

7. it's the facts

Basically, a top-down seeping of opinion that things have gone to hell has taken place among Republicans. It doesn't have to do with Democrats or media, it's their own leaders and people returning from Iraq talking, the opposition reaching critical mass and internal credibility. Moderate Republicans respond to cost/benefit analyses, not to issues of intention.

The Memos are nice in the war of words. They blow away almost all the ideological talking points that Republicans have used to deflect criticism. They pull the rug out from under the likes of Limbaugh.

So the memos are useful further down the line, when the argument about withdrawal from Iraq turns wildfire. It allows the pro-withdrawal people to say that invading Iraq really only had to do with the Bush people hating Saddam Hussein out of vanity, that there were never facts behind wanting to invade Iraq.

[RC]

9. The turning point was George Galloway's testimony

before the Senate subcommittee for the Food for Oil fiasco.

Without that most people would not be paying much attention to the Downing Street Minutes even now. George Galloway got their attention.

[Nite Owl]

10. People believed that the

turning over of the govt to the Iraqi's and the vote was something meaningful, a turning point. That's what they were led to believe at any rate but it's just gotten worse not better and they are just beginning to realize that this is long term, it won't be over any time soon. Couple this with the fact that we are broke and any attempt to balance the buget is on our backs it is obvious that paying for this won't be easy either. Sure seems slow to sink in with the public but now I don't see a way for them to make it any better either.

[Oversea Visitor]

11. Its an excuse

to jump ship, see Americans has been targeted by all the spin. They have manage to transfer the guilty on the American people. The DSM merely allow the guilty to be transfer back. Hey, thats my take

"There was a moment of accountability and that was the 2004 election"
This are Chimp words, strange words but their objectives are clear.

[Inland]

12. #2.

[LightningFlash]

13. It's a conjunction of both....

And it's bubbling to the surface.