U.S. Leaders and Syria: What If They Gave a War and Nobody Came?

As John Nichols reports today for The Nation, Democratic representative Alan Grayson of Florida recently stated, "Nobody wants this [i.e., war on Syria] except the military-industrial complex. Nichols notes that both a recent Pew Research survey and a Washington Post/ABC News poll show high levels of opposition in the American public to a military strike on Syria.

Nichols offers a helpful demographic breakdown of the data found by the two polls. On the question of whether there should be any U.S. military intervention in Syria at all:

* Sixty-five percent of women surveyed for The Post/ABC poll oppose missile strikes, while just 30 percent favor them. (The Pew survey found an even lower level of support among women: just 19 percent) 

* Among Americans under age 40 who were surveyed for the Post/ABC poll, 65 percent are opposed. 

* Among Hispanics, 63 percent are opposed. 

* Among African-Americans, 56 percent are opposed.

What was that peacenik slogan from the 1960s: "What if they gave a war and nobody came?" It looks to me as if a lot of Americans don't intend to come willingly to this latest war party. But I wonder if it's our voices to whom our elected officials in D.C. and their mainstream media cheerleaders are listening.

Or is, as Rep. Grayson implies, to the voices of the military industrial context that they have their ears tuned?

The graphic: Steve Benen at Maddow Blog breaking down the numbers from the Pew survey according to political affiliation or leaning.