Political support for America’s aspirations in Iraq in general, and for the presidential author of that strategy in particular, has slipped from percentages marked in the high 70’s in 2003 to the mid-30’s or so in 2006-2007. Those of us “left behind” have often been derided by those to whom the muddled middle shifted as Myrmidons, dead enders and Dear Leader bots.

Certainly things have not everywhere gone as we might have hoped, but many of us believed, and continue to believe, that what we were attempting was both radical and critical – that unprecedented attempts would come with unique challenges, that a worthwhile act ought not be overthrown on a whimsy, far less for partisan advantage. Whenever we have been tempted to stop and question ourselves, we are gratefully provided with statistics like these:

Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the federal government had warnings about 9/11 but decided to ignore them, a national survey found.

And that’s not the only conspiracy theory with a huge number of true believers in the United States.

The poll found that more than one out of three Americans believe Washington is concealing the truth about UFOs and the Kennedy assassination – and most everyone is sure the rise in gas prices is one vast oil-industry conspiracy.

Given the near certainty that there is significant – and perhaps comprehensive – overlap between the truthers and anti’s on the one hand, and the unswervables on the other, we are happy to remain in that comfortable minority who continue to apply Occam’s razor while adhering to notions of optimism, principle, liberty and liberalism, classically defined. We remain committed both to reason and the values this nation was founded upon, in other words, rather than their pale and accomodationist alternatives. We dare to hope.

The rest of you are free tighten down your tinfoil. They use radio waves, you know.

To find out what you’re thinking.

(H/T to Dan Collins)

Update: It’s true that there was a general alarm that something big was going to happen in the Summer of 2001, but that’s not the question that the Scripps News poll asked:

How about that some people in the federal government had specific warnings of the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington, but chose to ignore those warnings. Is this very likely, somewhat likely or unlikely?

Very Likely………………….. 32

Somewhat Likely………………. 30

Unlikely…………………….. 30

Don’t Know/Other………………. 8

You don’t get to denounce conspiracy theories in general and then say, well: Bush knew!!1! and maintain any kind of credibility. If that matters at all.