Bush Has No Exit Plan for Iraq, Say Americans

September 20, 2005

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in the United States think George W. Bush has not formulated an explicit strategy for bringing an end to the coalition effort in Iraq, according to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News. 72 per cent of respondents believe their president has not developed a clear plan for getting American troops out of Iraq.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 1,899 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 14,300 troops have been injured.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi-regarded as al-Qaeda’s top commander in Iraq-has reportedly carried out several attacks and kidnappings. Iraqi officials estimate that 116 Iraqi forces and 346 Iraqi civilians were killed in the first 17 days of September in bombings, drive-by-shootings and other violent incidents.

Last month, Bush ruled out removing American soldiers from Iraq, declaring, "An immediate withdrawal of our troops in Iraq, or the broader Middle East, as some have called for, would only embolden the terrorists and create a staging ground to launch more attacks against America and free nations. So long as I’m the president, we will stay, we will fight, and we will win the war on terror." 32 per cent of respondents believe all U.S. troops should be removed from Iraq, while 27 per cent urge for a reduction in the number of soldiers.

On Sept. 18, British defence minister John Reid said the country would be willing to increase its 8,500-soldier contingent in Iraq, saying, "We don’t need (more troops) at the moment, but if that’s necessary, of course we would do that. There’s no quitting and running, we’re there until the job is done."

Polling Data

So far, do you think the George W. Bush has developed a clear plan for getting American troops out of Iraq, or hasn’t he developed one?

Sept. 2005
Feb. 2005

Has
24%
21%

Has not
72%
75%

Don’t know
4%
4%

From what you have seen or heard about the situation in Iraq, what should the United States do now-should the U.S. increase the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, keep the same number of U.S. troops in Iraq as there are now, decrease the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, or remove all its troops from Iraq?

Sept. 2005
Aug. 2005

Increase
10%
14%

Keep the same
26%
25%

Decrease
27%
26%

Remove all
32%
29%

Don’t know
5%
6%

Source: CBS News / The New York Times
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,167 American adults, conducted from Sept. 9 to Sept. 13, 2005. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/ind...