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North Korea tested a Taepodong-2 ballistic missile over the weekend, and the results were not positive. In addition to incurring further world condemnation, the North Koreans managed to deploy the payload (a small satellite) into the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The failed test gave John Bolton the opportunity to spew nonsense ("So far, therefore, the missile launch is an unambiguous win for North Korea.") and Newt Gingrich the opportunity to further make a fool of himself solidify his position as the "ideas" guy in the Republican Party. Newt, who suggested the proper answer to the North Korean missile test was preventive war, may have been heartened by this Rasmussen poll, which asked:
If North Korea launches a long-range missile, should the United States take military action to eliminate North Korea’s ability to launch missiles?The answer was 57% yes, which I find somewhat alarming; even 52% of Democrats suggested that military action "to eliminate North Korea's ability to launch missiles" would be an appropriate response to a launch. I wonder, however, whether inserting the word "test" would have changed the outcome. My guess is yes, in large part because I doubt that the American public is radically more enthusiastic about full-scale war against North Korea than it is about either the war in Iraq or the war in Afghanistan. An additional survey question further piqued my curiosity:
How closely have you followed news reports about North Korea’s plans to test launch a long-range missile?40% Very closely35% Somewhat closely18% Not very closely6% Not at all1% Not sureAhem. I've been dutifully covering the ballistic missile beat at the Prospect for two and a half years now, and prior to this poll I had been under the impression that no one really cared much or knew much about North Korean ballistic missiles. Now, Rasmussen is telling me that fully 75% of the likely voters of the United States of America have been following the build up to the North Korean missile test (the poll was taken prior to the launch) "closely," and that 40% have been following said launch "very closely." There are two possible responses to such a result; the first is to suggest that it's utter nonsense (explaining why ArmsControlWonk doesn't get 100,000 hits/day), The second is to embrace this result, and demand a TAPPED contract renegotiation based on my overwhelming importance to the future of the Prospect. --Robert Farley
