There’s a very strange result in that new Fox News poll. On the question of Afghanistan, they found:
Do you support or oppose the U.S. military action in Afghanistan?
Support Oppose (Don't know)
29-30 Sep 09 64% 27 9
By comparison, two weeks ago they found:
Do you support or oppose the U.S. war in Afghanistan?
Support Oppose (Don't know)
15-16 Sep 09 46% 45 9
During the same time, there was only a one-point shift in the question of whether we should send more troops to Afghanistan, so I think we can rule out a large shift in public sentiment. The only other difference is the wording: two weeks ago they asked about the “war” in Afghanistan but this time they asked about the “military action” in Afghanistan.
So it seems that quite a lot of people’s opinion hinges on whether the action is called a war or not.
Internet Scofflaw 