The Politics of Public Opinion and the War in Iraq

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Almost a year after American troops invaded Iraq, polls show that the public is starting to get impatient with US involvement in that country, and that's got some foreign policy experts worried. Declining public support could have a negative effect on President Bush and his commitment to rebuild Iraq. It could also impact voter attitudes in the presidential race and John Kerry-s bid for office. What are the foreign policy implications for the victor of November's presidential race? Is a bi-partisan effort needed to educate the public about the need for continued US involvement in nation-building in Iraq? Guest host Sara Terry discusses the politics of public opinion with pollsters and media experts, and Democratic and Republican strategists. Making News: More than 186 Dead in Madrid Bombings In Madrid today, terrorist bombings killed more than 186 people and wounded over a thousand more at the peak of morning rush-hour. Spanish officials immediately named the Basque separatist group ETA as a suspect, but questions were also raised about possible ties to al Qaeda. Chris Wright, who's in Madrid for Agence France Presse, says ETA may have been trying to disrupt Sunday's general election. Reporter-s Notebook: What is ETA? Although it is becoming increasingly doubtful that ETA was behind today's terrorist attacks in Madrid, Spanish authorities initially singled out the Basque separatist group that has used terrorist tactics. The University of Nottingham's Paul Heywood, an expert on Spanish politics and the author of several books on the subject, offers a closer look at ETA, a group founded to combat the loss of cultural autonomy in Spain's Basque region.
Almost a year after American troops invaded Iraq, polls show that the public is starting to get impatient with US involvement in that country, and that's got some foreign policy experts worried. Declining public support could have a negative effect on President Bush and his commitment to rebuild Iraq. It could also impact voter attitudes in the presidential race and John Kerry-s bid for office. What are the foreign policy implications for the victor of November's presidential race? Is a bi-partisan effort needed to educate the public about the need for continued US involvement in nation-building in Iraq? Guest host Sara Terry discusses the politics of public opinion with pollsters and media experts, and Democratic and Republican strategists.
  • Making News: More than 186 Dead in Madrid Bombings
    In Madrid today, terrorist bombings killed more than 186 people and wounded over a thousand more at the peak of morning rush-hour. Spanish officials immediately named the Basque separatist group ETA as a suspect, but questions were also raised about possible ties to al Qaeda. Chris Wright, who's in Madrid for Agence France Presse, says ETA may have been trying to disrupt Sunday's general election.
  • Reporter-s Notebook: What is ETA?
    Although it is becoming increasingly doubtful that ETA was behind today's terrorist attacks in Madrid, Spanish authorities initially singled out the Basque separatist group that has used terrorist tactics. The University of Nottingham's Paul Heywood, an expert on Spanish politics and the author of several books on the subject, offers a closer look at ETA, a group founded to combat the loss of cultural autonomy in Spain's Basque region.
Guest host Sara Terry is an award-winning writer and photographer, who has written for the Christian Science Monitor, the New York Times, Fast Company, Rolling Stone and the Boston Globe. Her current photo-documentary project is "Aftermath: Bosnia's Long Road to Peace."

International Herald Tribune article on madrid attacks

Council on Foreign Relations' task force report on Iraq, one year after

Pew Center's survey on voter response to Bush and Iraq

Bush campaign

Kerry campaign

ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna, Federation of American Scientists on)

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Warren Olney