Majority of Americans Continue to Believe Iraq "Worth It"

Gallup News Service ^ | April 1, 2004 | Frank Newport

[RWR8189]

Bush job approval on handling Iraq now at 51%

PRINCETON, NJ -- A majority of Americans continue to support U.S. military involvement in Iraq, and a slight majority now say they approve of the way President George W. Bush is handling the situation there. Views of the Iraq situation are partisan, with almost 9 in 10 Republicans supporting the war, while two-thirds of Democrats oppose it. Other segments of the American population who give more than average support to the U.S. involvement in Iraq include conservatives, men, and whites. Half of Americans believe that the Iraq situation is an extension of the general war against terrorism, while half do not.

Is U.S. Involvement in Iraq Worth It?

Fifty-six percent of Americans say that the situation in Iraq was worth going to war over, little changed from the 55% who felt that way in early March. Both March readings on this key measure of support for the U.S. military presence in Iraq are higher than the 49% recorded in late January/early February. The previous low point of support for the action in Iraq -- 50% -- occurred in September of last year.

 

Worth Going to War in Iraq?

The trend on the Gallup "was it worth it" measure tells a great deal about the American public's perceptions of the controversial U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Support for the idea of such action was at only 53% in January 2003, but quickly jumped as high as 76% "worth it" in April as the intervention continued and appeared successful.

By early fall 2003, support levels had fallen to the aforementioned 50%, shortly after Bush addressed the nation about difficulties in Iraq and announced he would seek an additional $87 billion from Congress for the effort. Support began to climb slightly in the fall, and jumped to 65% in mid-December, after the widely publicized capture of Saddam Hussein.

Two other recent polls also show 55% of Americans supporting the military action in Iraq:

• A Newsweek poll conducted March 25-26 found that 55% agreed that the "United States did the right thing in taking military action against Iraq last year."

• A Pew Research Center survey from March 17-21 found 55% saying that the United States had made the right decision in using military force against Iraq.

[RWR8189]

Gallup Ping

FReepmail me if you want to be on or off the list.

[bayourod]

Iraq has been a good military excercise to prepare our troops for Saudi Arabia and Syria. Then there will be no more terrorism.

[olivia3boys]

I was just polled on this seconds ago (local Eyewitness News channel). I told them I've always supported the Iraq war and continue to do so "despite the pictures of the burned bodies hanging from the bridge" (the question was loaded).

I gave them my correct gender and age but I told them I was black instead of white. Just to throw them off.

[EllaMinnow]

...but I told them I was black instead of white. Just to throw them off.

LoL! I tried that once, and the little pollster wouldn't believe me.

[mabelkitty]

I'm starting to think they should be a state and the people treated as such.

Grrrrr!!

[mabelkitty]

Then they better work around their standards for enlistment.
I know quite a few Vietnam Vets just dying to go over there, but the military thinks they are too old.

Never, ever make the assinine remarks about age to past warriors. Never.

[EllaMinnow]

From the link:

It is important to note that support for the war in Iraq is actually slightly higher in the so-called battleground states (where the margin of victory for either Bush or Al Gore in 2000 was five percentage points or less) than in the "red states" (which Bush won by more than five percentage points).

In the "blue states," where Gore won comfortably in 2000 and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry is expected to win in 2004, 47% say the war was worth it, while 51% disagree. In the "red states," where Bush is expected to win again, people say the war was worth it by 57% to 40%. But in the battleground or competitive states, the comparable figures are 62% who say the war was worth it and 36% who say it was not.

[agrace]

Looks like we again need to show the video of Saddam's Baghdad statue coming down and being dragged through the streets - that day shows the highest percentage in support of the war.

I have it on tape - what a couple of hours that was, the American soldiers rolling into Baghdad, welcomed by Iraqis, the pics of Saddam being beaten with shoes, the relentless attempts of the growing crowd to rip that statue off its foundation with little more than bare hands and sheer will. I'll never forget the guy who looked like Bluto from Popeye whacking the base with that sledgehammer while men half his size begged him for a turn.

[Milligan]

We didn't fire a shot and Libya gave up their WMD!

[MNJohnnie]

Also, keep in mind this little Date. June 30th 2004. No matter how desperate the Media is to spin negatives about Iraq, they are NOT going to be able to ignore the hand over to Iraqi control. That really ought to put the a bit of a damper on the Demos convention now shouldn't it. How did such an obvious idiot like McAuffile get to be head of the DNC?