Survey Says

Even the folks on the turnip truck realize that foreign policy will be a salient issue in this year’s presidential election, likely more so than in any election since 1980. So what do the bulk of Americans think about the issues? Foreign Policy magazine has drawn on a range of survey data in constructing a composite interview about foreign policy issues with a fictional John Q. Public. While the premise is a bit contrived …

FOREIGN POLICY: How did you feel about going to war with Iraq?

John/Jane Q. Public: It’s complicated. When President George W. Bush said that Saddam Hussein was making weapons of mass destruction and might give them to terrorists, I found that argument pretty convincing. So I was all for trying to get into Iraq to find out if Saddam had those weapons, and to take them away from him if he did. Survey Results

FP: So did you think immediate action was necessary?

JP: Not really. I thought we could take time to build support at the United Nations. Besides, we had plenty else to worry about, like al Qaeda. And once the U.N. inspectors were in Iraq, it seemed like we should give them a chance—not that I was all that optimistic that they were going to find the weapons. But Saddam was contained, so I thought we should keep trying to find some consensus at the United Nations. Survey Results

… and while you can always argue methodology and intent, the composite does allow you to augment John Q’s answers by viewing the actual survey data.