The Delusions of American Hawks

There is no way to know for sure, but no one can seriously believe that Obama would have benefited politically from waging an unnecessary war over the strenuous objections of both the public and Congress. It is far more likely that Obama’s approval rating would be even lower now, since the U.S. would probably still be in the middle of another unpopular war. The only people that would have been satisfied by a war against Syria are the people that are otherwise hostile to Obama, but it wouldn’t have made them say that they approve of Obama. Meanwhile, many of the people that still support Obama would have had one more reason to turn against him. As an analysis of public opinion, Kagan’s argument is absolutely worthless. As a window onto the delusions of American hawks, it is very instructive.