A new
NYT/CBS poll of opinion before and after Saddam's capture has come out (MOE +/-3% before; 4% after).
- War going well in Iraq rose from 47% before to 64% after
- 47% disapproval of Bush's handling of foreign policy before decreased to 38% after
- Bush approval bumped from 52% to 58%; disapproval fell from 40% to 33%
- 56% country going in wrong direction/39% right direction has flipped to 43% wrong/49% right
- IMPORTANT: The NYT misreports this number: 46% of those polled believe that the war has been won in Iraq, 47% believe we have not (the NYT takes the war over number and calls it "nearly half" - good job Nagourney)
- 86% believe the war is still going on, 11% believe it's over
- Bush vs. a generic Democrat went from 42%-41% to 44%-40%
- 58% believe the administration has said that Saddam was involved in 9/11
and, in an important question for Dean
* 60% of those polled believe Saddam's capture has had NO effect on the threat of terrorism against the U.S.; 18% it has increased the threat; 19% decreased
Which brings me to ask, why do Americans hate America so?
And here's someone quoted in the NYT report on the poll who's going to be disappointed:
Michael Grimaldi, 34, a Republican who is an ambulance dispatcher from Fairfield, N.Y., predicted that the capture of Mr. Hussein would result in a decrease in the bombings in Iraq. But Mr. Grimaldi said he was concerned that the United States was now stuck there.
"It seems to me that another Vietnam is happening," he said. "I'm just hoping that since we've caught him, we can get our soldiers back home and let them deal with their problems on their own."
In the words of a famous Bush: "Mmm-mmm. Not gonna happen. Wouldn't be prudent."