Home > US voters reject Iraq war in poll
Gary Younge in New York
The Guardian
Most American voters believe it was not worth going to war in Iraq and
almost two-thirds believe the US is "getting bogged down", according to
a Los Angeles Times poll.
The poll, which shows that views on the Iraq war represent a divide
between Republicans and Democrats, reveals that 53% of voters say that
the situation in Iraq did not merit the war, while 43% say it did. When
the question was asked by the same pollsters in November and March the
figures were reversed.
Meanwhile, only 35% believe the US is making good progress, while 61%
feel America is "getting bogged down".
Conducted on the weekend that saw the final details of the unanimous
United Nations security council vote to endorse the June 30 handover,
the polling results are grim news for President George Bush. Results
from the same poll on Thursday showed his Democratic party challenger,
John Kerry, extending his national lead over the president, although Mr
Bush was faring better in swing states.
Among those who think the threat from Iraq justified war, Mr Bush leads
Mr Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, 83% to 13%.
Among those who think the war was not justified, Mr Kerry leads, 84% to 11%.
Three-fifths said Mr Bush’s Iraq policies had hurt America’s image
abroad; one in five thought they had improved attitudes toward the US.
But if the survey revealed that Mr Bush was in trouble it was not all
good news for Mr Kerry, with whom many voters have yet to positively
identify. In a sign that Mr Kerry’s position is murky to many voters,
the poll found 15% said he had offered a clear plan on how to handle the
situation, while 34% said he had not, and the rest did not know.
Forum posts
14 June 2004, 13:45
It is time for the people of the US to restore the constitution to this country by rejecting Bush.
It is time for the US to rebuild their position as a responsible world leader by rejecting Bush. I have spent a good deal of the last two years in europe and our nation’s image has been greatly damaged by the actions of the Bush administration.
The policies of the Bush administration have lead us into a world wide battle with all of Islam. We must rid ourselves of Bush and restore this country to a position of respect in world affairs and seek peacefull, diplomatic paths to live with diverse cultures around the world.