TERRORIZING THEMSELVES:

Sharp rise in favour of war on Iraq (Alan Travis, October 16, 2002, The Guardian)

There has been a spectacular surge in support among British voters for military action against Iraq in the immediate aftermath of the terror attack in Bali, according to the latest Guardian/ICM poll.

The survey, which was carried out on Monday, shows that support for a military attack on Iraq has risen 10 points in the last week from 32% to 42% of voters.

The ICM poll also shows that more voters agree with Tony Blair that it is necessary to fight on two fronts against both al-Qaida and Iraq. Only one in three voters agree that the United States and Britain "took their eye off the ball" by concentrating on Iraq.

It's a remarkable thing, when you sit around waiting for things to happen, you end up feeling like a victim of life's circumstances. But, when you lead, events come to you, served up like a flat slider right out over the plate. Because Mr. Blair and Mr. Bush got out in front of events and led, this bombing fits neatly into an analytical framework that they established; it's part of a wider war, a war that we're fully engaged in. There's none of the sense of helplessness that was felt right after 9-11, no feeling that this was an obscure and senseless act. Instead you can hear people saying: "That's right. We knew that more of us would die. That's what these murderers are like and that's why we have to fight them."
Posted by Orrin Judd at October 15, 2002 11:46 PM