Prometheus 6

A significant portion of the population has some scary-ass ideas

Americans See Clear Victory in Iraq, Poll Finds

The poll, taken over the weekend, found that for the first time since 2001, a majority of Americans, 62 percent, believe that the nation is winning the war on terrorism. And there has been a sharp drop in the number of people who fear terrorist reprisal attacks in the United States because of the invasion in Iraq. The poll found that 79 percent of respondents approve of Mr. Bush's handling of Iraq, the most support Mr. Bush has received on his Iraq policy.

"We have all of Iraq right now," said Carol Hayward, 59, a Democrat from New York City. "We don't need Saddam Hussein or his weapons. "We have all the oil fields under control and the cooperation of the people."

And, there does not appear to be any great pressure on Mr. Bush to end the American presence in Iraq any time soon, a finding that could prove significant as the presidential race begins. Forty-six percent of respondents said they expected American troops to remain in Iraq for at least a year.

The poll found that Americans believe that their nation would continue its aggressive effort to police the world. About 6 in 10 said they thought it was very likely or somewhat likely that the success of the war in Iraq would prompt the United States to intervene in Korea or Syria, while 3 in 10 said it was not very likely. Half foresaw a very or somewhat likely military intervention in Iran.

Ina Urness, 71, of Higginsville, Mo., said in a follow-up interview that she approved of the administration's moving pre-emptively against nations that posed a threat to the United States. "We ought to nip it right in the bud, because it's better them than us," she said. "Get over there and get them before they can have a chance to turn those missiles loose on us over here."

posted by Prometheus 6 at 4/15/2003 06:37:20 AM |