(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The views of adults in the United States on the coalition effort are shifting, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 38 per cent of respondents believe the U.S. mission in Iraq will be seen as a success in the long run, up 10 points since May.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The views of adults in the United States on the coalition effort are shifting, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 38 per cent of respondents believe the U.S. mission in Iraq will be seen as a success in the long run, up 10 points since May.
Conversely, 41 per cent of respondents think the war will be regarded as a failure, down 11 points in three months.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 4,154 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and 30,500 troops have been wounded in action.
In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. In May 2006, Shiite United Iraqi Alliance member Nouri al-Maliki officially took over as prime minister.
In September 2007, commander of the Multi-National Force – Iraq David Petraeus and U.S. ambassador in Iraq Ryan Crocker provided a comprehensive assessment of the situation in Iraq to the U.S. Congress.
The U.S. and Iraqi governments are hoping to finalize an agreement this year, which would establish a "security relationship" that would provide a legal basis for the presence of U.S. soldiers in Iraq.
On Sept. 4, as he accepted the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, Arizona senator John McCain discussed the war in Iraq, saying, "I’ve fought for the right strategy and more troops in Iraq when it wasn’t the popular thing to do. And when the pundits said my campaign was finished, I said I’d rather lose an election than see my country lose a war. (…) That strategy succeeded, and it rescued us from a defeat that would have demoralized our military, risked a wider war, and threatened the security of all Americans."
Polling Data
In the long run, will the U.S. mission in Iraq be seen as a success or a failure?
|
|
Aug. 2008 |
May 2008 |
|
Success |
38% |
28% |
|
Failure |
41% |
52% |
|
Not sure |
21% |
20% |
Source: Rasmussen Reports
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted on Aug. 25, 2008. Margin of error is 4 per cent.
