Sixty-two percent (62%) of Republicans back Israel's decision to take military action against the Palestinians, but only half as many Democrats (31%) agree. A majority of Democrats (55%) say Israel should have tried to find a diplomatic solution first, a view shared by just 27% of Republicans.
In general. there is a virtual tie: 44% in support, to 41% against, with a few undecided.
As long as the torturers are not American.
AP reported Wednesday that " U.S. prosecutors want a Miami judge to sentence the son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor to 147 years in prison for torturing people when he was chief of a brutal paramilitary unit during his father's reign."
Meanwhile, in a related note, The Washington Post's Ruth Marcus argues for the second time in less than two weeks that Bush administration officials who engaged in torture should not be prosecuted. Excerpt:
If someone is caught breaking into your house, by all means, press charges. But you might also want to consider installing an alarm system or buying stronger locks. Responsible congressional oversight, an essential tool for checking executive branch excesses, was lacking for much of the Bush administration.
Marcus was apparently bothered by the fact that her previous pardon-the-torturers piece drew approximately 100% disapproval from readers in the comments section.
Glen Greenwald has more on all this.
