We drop our "smart bombs" like droping "Smart ies" to starving Afghans

you should modify this picture: its not just "Bush and the mainstream media" asserting our right to defend our freedom by attacking and killing those who threaten our security-- it's over 90% of Americans.

How come there are no armed mysoginyst Taliban being bombed? Only children playing on tanks are getting the bomb?

very balanced.

In those news polls they only give two choices - do you support 'retaliation', or do you support doing nothing. So people choose 'retaliation'. If they were to list half a dozen or more different possibilities, it would be very clear that the majority of USA people do not support carpet bombing Afghani civilians, or losing more than 30 american soldiers. My friend just got out of Westpoint and he agrees with me entirely on this. The media keeps channeling people into thinking that there are two clear sides of this, and every issue. In reality, it's not like that at all. If they brought back the draft, especially removing the exemptions for college students and women, this would be very clear - people did not suddenly turn into a bloodthirsty mob with unquestioning support for Bush.

While you are correct that there are some misleading polls out there most are very specific, and do not just give a "do something" and "do nothing" choice. You can read the questions on the websites and Gallup provides detailed information:

ABCNEWS/WASHPOST
*Ninety-two percent support the airstrikes-- specifically.
*Seventy-six percent support sending "a significant number of U.S. ground troops" to overthrow the Taliban.
*87 percent support military action against other countries that assist or shelter terrorists.

*Eighty-seven percent of liberals and 88 percent of Democrats approve of the president's performance, and two-thirds in both these groups approve strongly.

GALLUP SUMMARY:
Ninety percent of Americans interviewed on Sunday night, Oct. 7, just after the U.S. military response in Afghanistan began, support the initiation of the military action in Afghanistan, while only 5% disapprove. Support levels for military retaliation on the part of the United States and its allies have, in fact, generally been at or around an extraordinary 90% level in all polling conducted from Sept. 11 through Sunday. If anything, there has been a slight tendency in polling conducted prior to Oct. 7 for Americans to say that the military action should have come sooner. On Friday and Saturday, just before the response began, 22% of Americans said that the Bush administration had not yet gone far enough in terms of a military response. But, on Sunday night, after the attacks had begun, that number dropped to 14%. Seventy-two percent said that the Bush administration waited the right amount of time to begin; 9% said that military action should have been delayed longer.

The independant pollsters don't have the bias that you or I might have.

Hey, it's not like it's 70% to 30% for war... In todays Gallup poll it's 90% to 5% with 5% undecided in support of military action. That's clear cut.