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U.S. Majority Feels Iraq War Was Wrong
- Many adults in the United States believe the coalition effort was a mistake, according to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News. 51 per cent of respondents believe the U.S. should have stayed out of Iraq.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 2,695 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 20,300 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 Sept. 21, U.S. president George W. Bush discussed the situation in Iraq, saying, "The commander-in-chief must always take the words of the enemy seriously. And like them, I see Iraq as the central front in the war on terror, and unlike them, however, I refuse to yield to their barbarism, and we're going to stand strong with the 12 million Iraqis and help that young democracy survive for the sake of peace for our children and our grandchildren." 46 per cent of respondents think of the war with Iraq as separate from the war on terrorism.
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?
Sept. 2006 | Aug. 2006 | |
Right thing | 44% | 43% |
Stayed out | 51% | 53% |
Don't know | 5% | 4% |
Do you think of the war with Iraq as part of the war on terrorism, or do you think of it as separate from the war on terrorism?
Sept. 2006 | Aug. 2006 | |
Major part | 36% | 32% |
Minor part | 13% | 12% |
Not part | 46% | 51% |
Source: The New York Times / CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,131American adults, conducted from Sept. 15 to Sept. 19, 2006. Margin of error is 4 per cent.