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Jewish World Review Nov. 27, 2002 / 22 Kislev, 5763

Dick Morris

Dick Morris
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Women gone wobbly?


http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | Fom the out set, the War on Terror was sharply different from other U.S. military actions in the strong support it received from American women. Normally, men back military action by 10 to 20 points more than women do. But, after 9/11, women felt more endangered by terror and backed action against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden as strongly as men did.

But no more. The most recent Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll shows that women are much less likely to support military action against Saddam Hussein. The fear of terrorism, which motivated their backing for the invasion of Afghanistan, now works the other way as women are far more apprehensive than men about the possible escalation of terrorism in the United States that a war with Iraq might bring.

In a telephone survey of 1,000 voters last week, 73 percent of men but only 64 percent of women backed "U.S. military action to disarm Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein."

Asked if they worried that a war with Iraq "might lead to more terrorist attacks in the United States," 61 percent of women said they were "very concerned" by the danger while only 41 percent of men felt that way.

The key to Bush's efforts to mobilize a united front of support for a war with Iraq is to make clear to Americans there is more danger in leaving Saddam alone to develop new weapons than in attacking him now. Asked if they worried that there would be more terrorist attacks in the United States if we do not go to war with Iraq, 57 percent of women and 47 percent of men said they were "very concerned."

A host of surveys have found women were more affected by 9/11 than men were and their sense of personal danger to themselves and their families was more elevated as a result. Now, women appear to be whipsawed between their fear of doing nothing and letting Saddam build his bombs and their fear of retaliation if America attacks Iraq.

The administration strategy misses this concern of American women. By focusing on how the United States is acting multilaterally and minding our relations with the United Nations, it is doing a lot to appease the concerns of our allies, but not helping much with women voters at home.

To galvanize female support for military action, the administration needs to emphasize what would happen if Saddam is left unmolested. Bush's spokespeople, and the president himself, need to stress that Saddam does not yet have nuclear weapons. We must make clear that the central aim of our efforts to disarm him and/or depose him is to stop him from getting the bomb.

Nuclear weapons are in a class all by themselves. The damage they can inflict, the absence of effective countermeasures and the destabilizing effect on the global community make nuclear terrorism uniquely threatening. By lumping nuclear bombs in with other "weapons of mass destruction," perhaps Bush is having the unintended effect of making voters as afraid of what Saddam can do now as they are of what he could do in the future. Bush must make Americans, particularly women, fear the consequences of doing nothing more than those of invading Iraq at this time.

Bush has been masterful in not permitting a gender gap to hamper his efforts to accumulate public support for his War on Terror. But, now that signs indicate one may be opening up, it's crucial that he take effective steps to close it before it saps his majority of the ubiquitous support he will need for military action.

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JWR contributor Dick Morris is the author of, among others, "Power Plays: Top 20 Winning and Losing Strategies of History's Great Political Leaders" Comment by clicking here.

Up

11/25/02: The U.N. over a barrel
11/15/02: Gore's suicide
11/15/02 One-party control is an illusion
11/13/02 The House of Extremes
11/08/02 I have egg on my face
11/01/02 Is Bush losing control over events?
10/25/02What is causing Bush's free fall?
10/25/02: Anybody sense a trend?
10/23/02: A deadline for Iraq
10/18/02: Only sure bet of 2002 elections is voter angst
10/16/02: Endangered incumbents
10/11/02: Why multilateralism doesn't work
10/09/02: Hey, Dems: Believe NYTimes polling at your own risk
10/03/02: Dem suicide: Let's count the ways
09/30/02: The Dems just can't stop themselves
09/26/02: The perils of polling
09/19/02: W. boxed in the U.N.
09/19/02: Welfare reform: Keep on keeping on
09/12/02: Are Dems insane on Iraq?
09/09/02: Twin shadows of Election '02
09/05/02: GOP should triangulate
08/28/02: Trust the military
08/22/02: It's not the economy, stupid
08/09/02: As America unites, Gore goes divisive
08/01/02: Bush must focus on big picture
07/23/02: Election 2002: Advantage Dems
07/19/02: Rudy for SEC tough cop
07/17/02: The investor strike
07/15/02: Door open for drug testing students --- go for it, GOP!
07/12/02: Dubya looking out for No. 1?
07/03/02: The DNA war for Bush's soul
06/21/02: Why are conservatives winning?
06/19/02: Learning to love the feds
06/14/02: Hey, journalists and Dems: Dubya is doing just fine
06/12/02: It's terrorism, stupid!
06/10/02: Sanctions are a potent weapon
06/04/02: Al Qaeda's more dangerous new front
05/31/02: Why '04 looks tough for liberal Dems
05/24/02: Democratic self-destruction
05/22/02: The Clinton failures
05/15/02: Pataki positioned to win
05/08/02: A wakeup-call for American Jewry
05/03/02: Give Bush back his focus
05/01/02: Immigration fault li(n)es
04/25/02: It's the war, stupid
04/17/02: Bush goes small bore
04/12/02: Bush must be a gentle partisan
04/10/02: In defense of polling
04/08/02: Focus on Iraq, not the Palestinians
04/01/02: Only Internet will bring real campaign finance reform
03/27/02: Where W's drawn a line in the sand
03/22/02: Enron scandal will not trigger a wave of economic populism
03/20/02: Term-limited --- by war
03/15/02: Europe doesn't have a clue
03/11/02: Bush popularity = GOP win?
03/01/02: Will America be forced to chase its tail in its war on terrorism?
02/27/02: The Arafat/Saddam equilibrium must be destroyed
02/21/02: Campaign finance reform won't hurt GOPers
02/13/02: Dodd scurries for cover
02/11/02: U.S. 'unilateralism'? The Europeans don't have a case
02/06/02: WAR: What women want
02/01/02: They all talk in the end
01/30/01: The odd couple: Chris Dodd and Arthur Andersen
01/22/01: His father's son? Bush better get an 'Act II' fast!
01/18/01: Dubya & the 'vision thing'
01/14/01: The Rumsfeld Doctrine 01/03/01: A President Gore would have been a disaster
01/03/02: Clinton's priority: Political correctness over fighting terror
12/27/01: Terror network grew out of Clinton's inaction, despite warnings
12/24/01: Call 'em back, George
12/18/01: What Bush did right
12/13/01: Libs worry too much
12/11/01: "Open Sesame": Feinstein's proposed bill allows 100,000 non-immigrant students from anti-American countries to our shores
12/07/01: The non-partisan president
12/05/01: Both parties are phony on stimulus debate
11/29/01: When terrorists can enter legally, it's time to change the laws
11/21/01: Go for the jugular!
11/16/01: You are all incumbents
11/14/01: Clinton's failure to mobilize America to confront foreign terror after the 1993 attack led directly to 9-11 disaster
11/12/01: To the generals: Don't worry about losing support
11/08/01: The death of the white liberal
11/07/01: Our leaders are being transformed in a way unprecedented in post-World War II history

© 2001, Dick Morris