I have my own reservations about George Will’s column on Afghanistan, but accusing Will of slavishly following public opinion is just silly. The argument – such as it is – seems to be that Will’s enthusiasm for our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan is suspiciously correlated with the level of public support for the war in question.
But it’s worth considering why the Bush Administration lost public support for the War in Iraq. The public didn’t lose faith because Bush suddenly became less likable or less credible on foreign policy. Opposition to the war mounted because conditions in Iraq deteriorated dramatically, which had the effect of convincing people that the war was a) unwinnable and b) not a very good idea in the first place. Will’s views undoubtedly changed under similar circumstances, which is almost certainly a good thing – he wouldn’t be much of an op-ed columnist if his conclusions were completely impervious to facts on the ground.
Facts change minds only if minds are open to facts inconsistent with pre-conceived notions.Report
Am I wrong in remembering that George Will opposed the Iraq War from the beginning?Report
No, he actually supported it pretty enthusiastically. The Contentions post I link to above has the relevant excerpts.Report
But he eventually turned against it, similar to what he has done with Afghanistan. And he did that while the war (Iraq) was the property of a president who was of a party with which he identifies. So it should be no surprise that he would do the same when the war is owned by a president of a party to which he considers himself an opponent. This is not to say his view on the war is purely a political function, but that he is in a habit of initially supporting and then turning against wars, mjch like the American public at large. But his having done the same with Iraq when it was identified with his own party should highly mitigate the significance of doing it now regarding a war identified with a party he tends to oppose.Report
I think Will simply realizes there’s no place to go with this war, that the Taliban are like an alcoholic’s demons — he can chase them away with fortified wine, but they keep returning.Report