British "Stupid" Poll Misleading; Pro-Saddamites Bash Bush By Andrew L. Jaffee, November 19, 2003	Home   Search   Forum   Terms

Much ado, apparently about nothing, was made of a November 16 Sunday Times poll of Britons that showed 37 percent believed President Bush was "stupid" and 60 percent thought he was a "threat to world peace." A Guardian poll released the next day showed starkly different results:

The survey shows that public opinion in Britain is overwhelmingly pro-American with 62% of voters believing that the US is "generally speaking a force for good, not evil, in the world". It explodes the conventional political wisdom at Westminster that Mr Bush's visit will prove damaging to Tony Blair. Only 15% of British voters agree with the idea that America is the "evil empire" in the world. ...

Opposition to the war has slumped by 12 points since September to only 41% of all voters. At the same time those who believe the war was justified has jumped 9 points to 47% of voters.

This swing in the mood of British voters is echoed in the poll's finding that two-thirds of voters believe British and American troops should not pull out of Iraq now but instead stay until the situation is "more stable". ...

The detailed results of the poll show that more people - 43% - say they welcome George Bush's arrival in Britain than the 36% who say they would prefer he did not come.

Would the UK have sent troops to Iraq if most Brits believed the U.S. was "evil?" Would two thirds of British want to stay the course in Iraq if they thought Bush was "stupid?" I doubt it. In actuality, the stupidity in the UK lies mainly with the pro-Saddam demonstrators now filling the streets of London to protest President Bush's visit there.

It is very sad how they funnel all their energy into bashing Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair while ignoring the evils being committed right now in places like North Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Syria, and Iran. I doubt you'll see any "Free Iran" or "Bring Democracy to Iraq" placards being carried by this vocal British minority.

President Bush had it right when he said:

I notice the tradition of free speech exercised with enthusiasm is alive and well here in London. We have that at home too. They now have that right in Baghdad as well.

Do these protestors even have a clue?