A Crucial Question for the DAG

Kevin Drum writes a supremely important post that should be required reading for members of the Darfur Action Group. He quotes a recent Zogby Poll:

Concerning NATO’s role — an idea we have championed here — 80% support creating a no-fly zone over Darfur, and 76% support NATO logistical and troop support for an expanded African peacekeeping force. However, support falls quickly away at the prospect of U.S. military action; just 38% of likely voters think the U.S. should send troops under its own flag (which is not surprising).

People want someone to save the Darfuris, even with guns– just not America. Multilateralism trumps human rights. He concludes:

I’d like to see more people on both left and right face up to facts: if you consider yourself serious about stopping the genocide in Darfur, then you should be willing to support a serious commitment of combat troops — and all that that implies — for a period likely to last years.

His other analysis is also sharp. I’m curious: how many DAGers would support armed unilateral (or even multilateral?) intervention, and how many lives are worth wasting to placate the revered international institutions? It’s fine to qualify your human rights concerns with ‘But! We need to respect international institutions and the community of nations.’ Eventually, though, when the situation is dire, you have to choose.