Editorials

Environmentalism and the anti-war movement a few months ago appeared to be looming as highly significant issues in 2008 politics, but lately they have slipped in the rankings.

As a new U.S. strategy in Iraq has stemmed violence, put al-Qaida on its heels and renewed hopes for establishing a stable state, the anti-Iraq war movement is faltering.

In the current “progressive” Congress, environmentalists appeared to have a lock on proceedings. But public outrage over fuel and food prices, widely attributed to wayward environmentalism run rampant, might be in the process of breaking those shackles.

Iraq war developments have, among other things, resulted in a presidential candidate indicating a shift in his position, which is bad news for the anti-war element.

Anti-war movements in America date back to the Revolution, said James Jay Carafano, a national security expert at The Heritage Foundation. Americans argue about their wars before, during and after, he added, “But the role of dissenters in shaping American attitudes is particularly overblown. Americans like to make up their own minds.”

“Anti-war movements don’t drive public will,” he added. “They ride the crest of the public opinion wave.”

Today’s anti-war movement fed off public opinion more than it shaped it, Carafano observed. Americans had been frustrated by lack of progress in stabilizing Iraq after the conflict and the death spiral of violence dragging the country into a civil war.

Contrary to what anti-war activists fervently claimed, he said, their unrest was not the result of Americans’ feeling repelled by a long war or by casualties.

“Americans are averse to failure, sending their sons and daughters and national treasure into harm’s way when there seems no purpose,” Carafano noted. “Americans can accept sacrifice as long as they believe the cause serves their national interest and the goal is attainable.”

Even though it appears the effort in Iraq will take more time, and all the troops won’t be coming home soon, most Americans now recognize the progress that has been made and the support for anti-war voices is fading.

On the domestic front, energy has become the biggest issue in America. That is a fact left-leaning politicians are either waking up to, or suffering a nightmare, observed Ernest Isatook, who served 14 years in Congress and now is a distinguished fellow at Heritage.

Repercussions are still in early stages as the ripple effect goes beyond the price of gasoline, he added.

One setback for congressional environmentalist supporters is ethanol. An expansive mandate they pushed through to substitute food for fuel has driven food prices up while doing little for clean air.

Also, efforts to pin the blame elsewhere are not going well. Targeting oil speculators has found little traction and blaming oil companies for not drilling on every current lease hasn’t worked, because people know not all leases produce oil.

Public opinion supports ending congressional bans on drilling where there are known oil and gas reserves, particularly offshore. Isatook said “Drill here, Drill now, Pay less” has become a more popular slogan than “Not in my backyard.”

Mass transit use is up, but that generates demand for more government spending, Isatook noted. Government subsidies pay for 75 percent of transit costs so those who ride shift their transportation costs onto taxpayers. A big question: Where will the billions come from to pay for this?

“People want solutions, but many in Washington are focused on avoiding blame,” Isatook added. An indication of the result is that Congress has dropped even below lawyers as the least-popular folks in America with 91 percent of Americans not approving Congress’ work.

Still, old-guard liberals shut down the House Appropriations Committee rather than permit a vote on lifting the offshore drilling moratorium. The reason was too many Democrats were ready to bolt and join Republicans to allow the drilling.

While anti-Iraq war unrest is settling, public uproar over energy is rising.

There are indications the cry is getting through and it still may produce positive legislation, if enough Americans continue to raise their voices.

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