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Track global public opinion on current issues.
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Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
Few Americans Expect Bush Impeachment
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(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in the United States believe their president should not face legal charges over his decision to launch the coalition effort, according to a poll by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News. 62 per cent of respondents think it would be wrong for lawmakers to try to impeach George W. Bush over the Iraq war and weapons of mass destruction.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 2,454 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 18,000 troops have been wounded in action.
Pre-war speeches by Bush mentioned specific chemical agents, such as mustard gas, sarin and VX nerve gas as banned substances allegedly secured by Iraq. State secretary Colin Powell assured the United Nations (UN) Security Council in February 2003 that Hussein possessed biological weapons.
The final report of the Iraq Survey Group—presented to the U.S. Congress on Sept. 30, 2004—concluded that Hussein's regime did not possess chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, and had not implemented a significant program for their development.
On May 5, Bush declared, "We didn't find the weapons of mass destruction that everybody thought (Hussein) had, but we do know he still had the capacity of making weapons of mass destruction. He had ties to terrorist groups."
In the U.S., the federal process for impeachment begins with a vote in the House of Representatives, followed by a trial in the Senate. Only two American presidents—Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998—have been impeached by the lower house. Both Johnson and Clinton were later acquitted by the upper house. In April 1974, Richard Nixon resigned after impeachment hearings had started.
Polling Data
Regardless of how you plan to vote, if the Democrats win this year's Congressional elections do you think it would be right for them to try to impeach President Bush over the Iraq war and weapons of mass destruction, or not?
Right | 30% |
Wrong | 62% |
Don't know | 7% |
Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 registered American voters, conducted from May 16 to May 18, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.