Conn Hallinan at Counterpunch says that Obama's voters have his back if he really wants to get tough on "settlements."
does he have the political backing to make it stick?
On
the last point, the answer would seem to be “yes.” According to a
recent Zogby International poll, 50 percent of Americans think that the
U.S. should “get tough” with Israel. Some 32 percent were “not sure,”
and only 19 percent said, “do nothing.” But once the partisan gap is
factored in, Obama supporters overwhelmingly favor “getting tough” by
71 to 18.The poll shows strong support for Israel
— 71 percent to 21 percent — and a negative view of Palestinians —
25 to 66 — but again, there were strong differences between Obama and
McCain supporters. Asked if Israeli and U.S. interests were identical,
Obama voters said “no” 59 to 28, while McCain voters said they were
identical 78 to 15. Obama backers had a largely negative view of
Netanyahu — 49 to 29 — while McCain supporters favored the Israeli
prime minister 82 to 9.
