Katrina is affecting how Americans see Iraq war. But how exactly?

[BurtWorm]

Is Reuters right that we're selfish pigs? Or is Salon right that Katrina removed a mote from our eyes? (By "our," I mean Americans, if it needs to be said.)


http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/index.html?blog=/politics/war_room/2005/09/21/halo/index.html



As Reuters reports today, public support for the war in Iraq has "nosedived in the aftermath of Katrina." A USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll released Monday had 66 percent of Americans favoring the withdrawal of some or all of the U.S. troops in Iraq -- an increase of 10 percentage points from the results Gallup reported just two weeks ago.

Steven Wayne, a political scientist at Georgetown University, tells Reuters that the issue is one of money. "Americans want to attend to the needs of people at home before we take care of people overseas," he says.

But we'd submit that it's also an issue of competency and trust. Support for the war has eroded steadily even as the president has insisted, in ways that are hard for the average American to verify, that progress is being made in Iraq. With Katrina, the administration has made the same sort of claims -- sometimes using the same sort of language -- but Americans have watched a contrary story play out each, either up-close and personal on the Gulf Coast or on TV elsewhere. They've seen the disconnect between the reality on the ground and the words coming out of the president's mouth. If they don't think Bush is doing the job right in New Orleans -- if they think they can't trust him to tell the truth about the response to a natural disaster back home -- why should they continue to support him as he prosecutes a war 6,000 miles away?

[Stephanie]

1. Bush lied right in their faces

And reporters were there this time reporting the facts. It's undeniable now. He's a LIAR.

[NNN0LHI]

2. I can't figure it out. But it did something to the Repugs

Bush spending money like a drunken soldier might have the real "conservatives" finally seeing the light with bunker boy? Thats about all I can think of that could get them to turn like they have. That is my current thoughts on this. I may be wrong?

Don

[livetohike]

3. It's all about money

Iraq, $89 billion here, $89 billion there and for what???

The estimate to "fix" New Orleans is $200 billion. It is something people will see.

All we see happening in Iraq is our young men and women dying every day.

[AX10]

4. KICK

[intheflow]

5. Katrina proved Homeland Security is a money-sucking fraWd.

Are we safer under chimpy's leadership post 9-11? No way, Jose! No matter how well he and FEMA respond to Rita, it's only going to highlight the fact that he had the same timeframe warning with Katrina, it won't erase the fact that New Orleans is at least 80% destroyed, and it won't erase higher gas prices OR $200 billion clean-up before Rita hits. Katrina has opened a lot of eyes.