Pew Poll on the Middle East: Strong Support for Israel, Criticism of Obama

[pampango]

U.S. policy in the Middle East recently emerged as a campaign issue, with Texas Gov. Rick Perry criticizing Barack Obama’s handling of the Israel-Palestinian dispute. In late May, Republicans and GOP leaners who agree with the Tea Party movement overwhelmingly sympathized more with Israel than the Palestinians. Fully 79% sympathized more with Israel, compared with 54% of non-Tea Party Republicans and 41% of Democrats and Democratic leaners.

The differences were even starker in views of Obama’s handling of this issue: 68% of Tea Party Republicans said Obama favors the Palestinians too much, compared with just 23% of non-Tea Party Republicans and 8% of Democrats.

There has been greater partisan agreement in opinions about the political changes that are affecting many countries in the Middle East. In early March, amid pro-democracy protests in several Middle Eastern countries and shortly after Hosni Mubarak stepped down as Egypt’s president, 52% of the public said it was more important to have stable governments in the Middle East, even if there were less democracy; 37% said democratic governments are more important even if there were less stability.

Majorities of Tea Party Republicans (56%) and non-Tea Party Republicans (61%) said stable governments were more important, even if it meant less stability. Democrats and Democratic leaners were more divided: 46% said stable governments were more important, even if it meant less democracy, while 45% said democracy was more important, even it meant less stability.

http://people-press.org/2011/10/07/strong-on-defense-and-israel-tough-on-china/

Not too surprising that repubs and teabaggers prefer stable governments over democratic ones. Some things are consistent. That's also their view of our own government. At least Democrats were pretty evenly split in their preference for stable governments in the Middle East and for democratic ones.