The Politics of National Security

"Smart power" may be an effective exercise in repackaging, but the public apparently still prefers the party of hard power:

Republicans now hold the biggest lead over Democrats on the issue of national security since early September. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 48% of voters trust the GOP more to handle national security and the War on Terror, while only 40% trust Democrats more.

In December, the GOP held just a four-point lead on the issue. Trust in the Republicans hasn’t been this high since September 6, when they led the Democrats 50% to 40% on the issue.

Voters not affiliated with either party trust Republicans more to handle national security by a 51% to 31% margin.

Now imagine what these numbers would be if Obama had stacked his national security cabinet with actual progressives.