Americans Break With ‘Pottery Barn Rule’ for Iraq

Americans are ready to be done with the “Pottery Barn rule” in Iraq.

A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Annenberg survey found a plurality of Americans – 49% — say Washington does not have any responsibility to assist the Iraqi government fend off the insurgent groups seeking its overthrow, a split from the you-break-it, you-own-it rule coined in the runup to the 2003 Iraq war — even though it is not actually the retailer’s policy.

The survey follows President Barack Obama‘s announcement last week that he is deploying 300 military advisers to Baghdad to help the struggling Iraqi government.