Poll: More than 70 percent fear war costs will distract from domestic concerns

[laststeamtrain]

Source: The Hill

Poll: More than 70 percent fear war costs will distract from domestic concerns
By Tony Romm - 12/04/09 09:44 AM ET

More than 70 percent of surveyed voters worry the new costs of the the Afghan war will hamstring the federal government's ability to handle domestic concerns, according to a new poll.

Seventy-three percent told Gallup in its latest measure, released Friday, that they were "very" or "somewhat" fearful the White House's newly announced troop surge would make it difficult for Congress and the president to tackle such issues as healthcare and the economy in the coming months.

By contrast, only 26 percent signaled they were not concerned the new strategy's cost -- estimated to be about $30 billion -- would in any way complicate domestic policymaking.

Ultimately, those numbers perhaps raise the stakes for lawmakers in both parties, who have yet to broach the matter of troop funding formally.

Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/70589-poll-more-than-70-percent-fear-war-costs-will-distract-from-domestic-concerns

[jaxx]

1. From that same poll:

Obama's plan was favored by 51 percent of those surveyed, with 40 percent opposing it and "little consensus" on the plan's details, according to USA Today. More details from the poll:

• Thirty-eight percent call the decision to deploy 30,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan "about the right number." Nearly as many, 36 percent, say that is too many additional troops, and 18 percent say it's too few.
• Just one in five agree with the timetable to begin withdrawing U.S. forces in July 2011. Nearly half, 46 percent, say it's too soon to set a timetable, and one in four say troops should begin coming home before then.


http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/12/usa-todaygallup-poll-majority.html?wprss=44

[boobooday]

2. Okay, but where the hell were these people when Bush was pouring the bucks

into Iraq and Afghanistan for 7 years?

That's how we got here. A little late, people.

[Soylent Brice]

3. the nation collectively suffers from H.M.'s disease...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7150089

The result was that, after the surgery, the patient could not form new memories that lasted more than 20 or 30 seconds...