Should the Mullahs Start Worrying?

The Tuesday editions of USA Today contained interesting poll results on the subject of Iran’s nuclear weapon program and what Americans think the US should do about it. The USA Today/Gallup Poll, conducted over the past weekend, found that a whopping three out of every four Americans are concerned that Washington “will not do enough to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.” This concern was voiced by Democrats no less than Republicans, said the newspaper. What to do about it, though? The poll found a big majority (73 percent) wants the US to try diplomacy and economic sanctions first, and are worried President Bush will draw the sword prematurely. That said, however, 46 percent of those surveyed said that Washington should either take military action now or do so expeditiously in the event diplomacy fails. A slightly smaller group–45 percent–would under no circumstances favor force. The latter respondents seem to be saying, “We’re mad as hell, and we’re not going to do anything about it.” As for Bush, these poll numbers offer no strong support for armed action against Iran, but neither do they provide any strong new strong restraint, either.