Most voters, according to an
LATimes poll poll just released on the website and taken Saturday thru Tuesday, say the Iraq War was not worth it.
Link to the PDF file excerpts from the poll
Snips below...
WASHINGTON - Most U.S. voters now say it was not worth going to war in Iraq, but an overwhelming majority reject the idea of setting a deadline to withdraw all U.S. forces from the country, according to a new Times Poll.
Though the survey found voters increasingly worried that America is becoming ensnarled in Iraq and pessimistic that a democratic government will take root there, less than 1 in 5 said America should withdraw all its forces within weeks. And less than 1 in 4 endorse the idea advanced by some Democratic-leaning foreign policy experts and liberal groups to establish a specific date for withdrawal.
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The Times Poll, supervised by director Susan Pinkus, surveyed 1,230 registered voters from Saturday through Tuesday. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
Anxiety over the war's direction and reluctance to abandon the cause in Iraq radiate through the survey.
Most Americans retain faith that the U.S. can control the military situation in the country. Just over half of those polled - 52% - said the U.S. is winning the war; only 24% said the insurgents are winning.
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In perhaps the most emphatic measure of anxiety about Iraq, 53% said they did not believe the situation there merited the war; 43% said it did. When the Times Poll asked that question last November and March, the numbers were essentially reversed.
The poll underscores how attitudes about the war loom as a dividing line in the presidential election. Among those who believe the threat from Iraq justified war, Bush leads Kerry, 83% to 13%. Among those who now believe the war was not justified, Kerry leads, 84% to 11%.
Expectations are limited for the Iraqi interim government now taking power. Nearly two-thirds of those polled said they don't believe the interim government will be able to govern the country without help from the U.S. and its allies.
And many are pessimistic that the Iraqis can sustain a democratic government: just 38% believe it is likely that Iraq will maintain a democracy after the U.S.-led coalition forces leave, while 49% consider it unlikely.
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Such concerns have eroded confidence in Bush's management of the war. Just 44% now said they approved of Bush's handling of the war; in March, that figure was 51%. In the new poll, only 35% said he has outlined a clear plan to succeed in Iraq.
Asked about his handling of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal, 41% approved and 37% disapproved.
Sen. John F. Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has faced criticism from some in his party for not offering a more distinct alternative to Bush's Iraq policy. In a sign that Kerry's position is murky to many voters, the new poll found just 15% said he has offered a clear plan on how to handle the situation, while 34% say he has not and the rest don't know.
[But click to read fully, it offers possible openings for Kerry seen in the polling]
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Asked what the U.S. should do as the new government takes power, 41% wanted to reduce the American presence, with 18% of those voters saying all troops should be withdrawn and 23% calling for partial withdrawal.
But an equal 41% said the U.S. should add or subtract troops only at the request of the interim government itself. (Another 9% wanted to increase the troop deployment regardless of the interim government's view.)
The cooperative impulse only extended so far in the poll: 51% said the Iraqi government should not be given a veto over military operations by the U.S. and its allies.
[snip]
No bright thoughts on this, I seem overwhelmed that Reagan came back to life all this long bloody week.
Except this: Lunaville, shows 833