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More Americans Regret Iraq War
- Many adults in the United States think their government made a mistake in launching the coalition effort, according to a poll by CBS News. 53 per cent of respondents think the U.S. should have stayed out of Iraq, up five points since July.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 2,604 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 19,500 troops have been wounded in action.
In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. In May, Shiite United Iraqi Alliance member Nouri al-Maliki officially took over as prime minister.
On Aug. 16, U.S. president George W. Bush ruled out setting a date for the withdrawal of American troops, saying, "Leaving before we complete our mission would create a terrorist state in the heart of the Middle East, a country with huge oil reserves that the terrorist network would be willing to use to extract economic pain from those of us who believe in freedom."
Polling Data
Looking back, do you think the United States did the right thing in taking military action against Iraq, or should the U.S. have stayed out?
Aug. 2006 | Jul. 2006 | Jun. 2006 | |
Right thing | 41% | 47% | 44% |
Stayed out | 53% | 48% | 51% |
Don't know | 6% | 5% | 5% |
Source: CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 974 American adults, conducted from Aug. 11 to Aug. 13, 2006. Margin of error is 4 per cent.