German Public Opinion Watch: Die Zeit reports that German opposition to the war in Iraq is hardening. 80% of the public surveyed now feels that the war is unjustified. This sentiment is also reflected in the approval ratings for leading politicians. Chancellor Schroeder's approval has risen to 34%, up from 26% a month ago. CDU opposition leader Angela Merkel, who has taken a strongly pro-American stance, has slid from 51% approval a month ago to 31% today. On the other hand, if an election were held today, the CDU/CSU Union would still oust the incumbent Social Democrats 45% to 31%.

Last night on NPR: Anchor Michelle Norris spoke with John Burnett, embedded with the Marines 20 miles south of Baghdad [audio file]:

Norris (skeptically): "We're seeing a lot of pictures back here in the United States of civilians cheering U.S. troops. Have you been seeing any of that?"

Burnett (pleasantly surprised): "Interestingly I have. And it's just in the past two days that everyone, all the Marines have noticed that suddenly the civilians are friendly again. They're waving. They're shooting V for victory and even making kind of pistol-like gestures to their heads and pointing north. Like, you know, put a bullet in Saddam's temple. The artillery battery that I'm traveling with was in a field this afternoon and a carload of Iraqi men drove by and yelled out "Thank you!" in unison.

It turns out that Alberta is at the leading edge of a Canadian shift towards supporting the United States and the liberation of Iraq. Here's an alternative theory you might not find anywhere else: Our war against "Saddam" is really just an oil grab, right? And the Canadians are notorious appeasers, right? And Alberta is where most of Canada's oil is, right? So .... maybe they're just trying to appease us so that we leave their oil alone? Well, probably not. But it has a certain logic to it.