According to a new BBC news poll, anti-Americanism is rising, principally over the situation in Iraq but also because of the US role in other world affairs. The poll dealt with issues such as the Israel-Hezbollah war, Iran’s nuclear program, and global warming in addition to the crisis in Iraq. One citizen in two across the 25 countries polled now says the US is playing a mainly negative role in the world. More than two-thirds, 68 percent, think the US military presence in the Middle East provokes more conflict than it prevents. Seventeen percent believes America provides a stabilizing force there. Sixty-five percent of world citizens disapprove of the U.S. government’s handling of the Israel-Hezbollah war, 60 percent disapprove of how our government is dealing with Iran’s nuclear program, and 56 percent don’t approve of how the global warming issue is being handled.
Every year, Congress and the military debate which combat assets should head to the boneyard and which have more life left in them. Lawmakers often opt to keep Air Force systems that bring jobs to their districts, which complicates matters as the service looks to modernize and ditch certain platforms.…