Meanwhile, back at the palatial Chateau de Kerry,
Posted on 03/16/2004 9:39:49 AM PST by Mark Felton
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A year after U.S. and British troops invaded Iraq (news - web sites) to overthrow Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), the majority of Iraqis say life is better than it was under the former dictator, according to results of an extensive poll released Tuesday.
But many have little faith in occupying troops and the U.S.-led administration -- and nearly one in five say attacks on foreign soldiers in Iraq are justified.
Asked whether their lives were better now than in the spring of 2003, nearly six in ten Iraqis said the situation was somewhat better or much better than it was, according to the survey of 2,500 people conducted for a group of broadcasting organizations by Oxford Research International.
Those responses are likely to come as a positive surprise for coalition forces and the U.S.-led administration in Iraq as they continue to grapple with a determined guerrilla insurgency and widespread social problems a year after Saddam's fall.
Iraqis often complain about a lack of security, the scarcity of jobs and their fears for the future, but the survey suggests that despite this, most feel life has improved.
Asked how things were going in their lives these days, seven in 10 said the situation was very good or quite good, and only 15 percent said things were very bad. Looking ahead, 71 percent said they expected conditions in their lives to be much better or somewhat better a year from now.
But there are grievances and inconsistencies in the way Iraqis feel 12 months after Saddam.
AMBIVALENCE TOWARD OCCUPIERS
One of their chief complaints is about the effectiveness and continued presence of U.S., and British forces in Iraq.
While half of those questioned believe the invasion was the right thing to do, compared with 39 percent who said it was wrong, more than four in 10 said they had no confidence whatsoever in U.S. and British occupation troops, and 51 percent oppose the presence of coalition forces in Iraq.
That said, Iraqis generally appear to want occupation forces to stay at least until security is restored and an Iraqi government is in place. Only 15 percent say they should leave now.
An Iraqi government is due to take power from July 1 this year, but it is likely to be many more months before security is restored. U.S. and British troops have made plans to maintain a presence in Iraq at least through the end of 2005.
As well as doubts about the ability of foreign troops to restore security -- which more than a fifth say is the single biggest problem in their lives -- Iraqis also have concerns about the capability of the U.S.-led civilian administration.
More than 60 percent say they have not very much or no confidence at all in the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), expressing much more confidence in Iraq's religious leaders, the Iraqi police and the United Nations (news - web sites).
Asked whether attacks on coalition forces were justified, 17 percent said yes. Nearly 14 percent said attacks on the CPA were justified. Four percent said attacks on foreigners working for the United Nations and aid agencies were justified.
Almost a year after Saddam's regime fell, which came after nearly three decades of dictatorship, more than four in five Iraqis say they want to have democracy, yet almost as many say they want to have a single strong leader.
Asked how the U.S.-led invasion of their country left them feeling, 41 percent said they felt liberated -- but the same number said they felt humiliated.
Terrorist attacks have decreased significantly since President Bush began the War on Terror, and the Iraqi people themeselves are more supportive of the war in Iraq than the Europeans, the Democrats and the leftists.
Asked whether their lives were better now than in the spring of 2003, nearly six in ten Iraqis said the situation was somewhat better or much better than it was, according to the survey of 2,500 people conducted for a group of broadcasting organizations by Oxford Research International.
Those responses are likely to come as a positive surprise for coalition forces and the U.S.-led administration in Iraq as they continue to grapple with a determined guerrilla insurgency and widespread social problems a year after Saddam's fall.
Iraqis often complain about a lack of security, the scarcity of jobs and their fears for the future, but the survey suggests that despite this, most feel life has improved.
Yes, our lives are better, we have more, Saddam is gone, but we like it that the people who set us free are getting killed. There are no jobs (WERE THERE JOBS UNDER SADDAM??? OR DID THE MEAN OLE USA BLOW UP YOUR STINKING CAMEL DUNG SHOVELING JOB????) Fear for the future??? Get Saddam back and all that fear is over! Your dead. Stinking people don't appreciate the men and women who have died to set them free! Vote for Kerry. He'll give you back Saddam and Osamma. Then you can really rejoice in blood!
Meanwhile, back at the palatial Chateau de Kerry,
Guerrilla insurgency? Reuters reporters...what a waste of natural resources.
Leftist's should be embarassed GW has set up their Shangri-La in Iraq and they are still complaining.
Shouldn't this phrase end with /sarcasm?
LoL's, Leftists and ashamed in the same phrase!
Thank you for giving the opportunity to speak my mind.
I lost my job this past year. When Clinton was president, I worked in a prosperous enterprise. But in the last year, we had to close our operations. We simply could not compete with foreign labor.
This foreign labor worked for low pay under very bad conditions. They worked very long shifts, and many even died on the job. This competition could hardly be called "fair." I was forced out of the place where I had worked for 34 years. Not a single government program was there to help me. How can Bush call himself "compassionate?"
Far worse, I lost two of my sons in Bush's evil war in Iraq. They gave their lives for their country, and for what? So that Bush's oil buddies can get rich. My pain of losing my sons is indescribable.
While it is trivial next to the loss of my sons, I regret to say that I also lost my home. I simply had nothing left. How can Bush call himself a Christian when he neglects people like me? I am a senior citizen with various medical problems. I'm not in a position where I can begin a new career.
I was reduced to the point where I had to live in a hole in a ground, all because of President Bush. And when the authorities found me there, did they have any compassion for my misfortune and ailments? No, I was arrested. Mr. Bush, I dare you to look me in the face and tell me you are a compassionate man! I dare you to look me in the face and tell me you a Christian!
If I had any money left, I would donate it to the Democratic party. If Al Gore had been elected in 2000, I guarantee I would still have a job, a home, and most importantly, my dear sons!
Regards,
Saddam Hussein
Maybe Rotters is surprised. Anyone who doesn't have the DNC define "truth" for them isn't surprised
Because an outsider had to come in and clean their house.
They were unwilling or unable to do it themselves.
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