Times Poll: Southerners Feeling Most Impacted by War

In the new round of polls showing the U.S. public turning against the Iraq war, there was one statistic that shows progressives have a big opening for reaching Southerners about the war. For example, in drawing on the the New York Times/CBS News Poll released this past weekend, the Times wrote:

A majority of all respondents said that the war in Iraq was having an impact on their communities - 27 percent rated the impact as major and 37 percent as minor.

Those in the South were affected more than those in other regions: 34 percent said the impact was major and 31 percent said it was minor.

This is in line with the Institute's recent report (pdf) on how issues of war and foreign policy are disproportionately impacting people in the South.

Clearly, there is a deep awareness in Southern communities about how war is hurting people's lives. I think what's been missing -- with some notable exceptions -- are clear Southern progressive voices who 1) been willing to consistently and vocally question the war, (I'm thinking here especially of the Southern Congressional delegation), and 2) do it in a way that puts front and center the pain of military families and people who make their livelihoods in the armed services.