According to a Rasmussen poll, which should be taken with a grain of salt or two, "most Americans (67%) say the United States should leave the situation in the Arab countries alone." Larison contrasts this with the foreign policy debate among elites:
[T]he public debate doesn’t include very many advocates for the majority view. This speaks volumes about the relationship between actual policy debates and public opinion. It seems unimaginable to most of the participants in foreign policy debate that a minimal or neutral role could be the appropriate and best answer to the question of how the U.S. should respond. However, if ever there were a occasion to exercise caution and restraint in using U.S. power and influence, responding to an internal conflict in a country where the U.S. has little influence and no reservoir of goodwill would seem to be it.