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Bush Misled U.S. on Iraq, Say Americans
- Many adults in the United States believe their president was not truthful in his rationale to launch military action against Iraq, according to a poll by SRBI Public Affairs published in Time. 54 per cent of respondents think George W. Bush deliberately misled Americans to build his case for war, up six points since December.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 2,735 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 20,600 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. 59 per cent of respondents think it is unlikely that the new Iraqi government will be able to build a stable and reasonably democratic society, up 22 points since December.
On Oct. 4, U.S. president George W. Bush discussed the situation in Iraq, saying, "We will stand with the 12 million brave citizens who demanded their freedom. We will help the new unity government succeed. We will train Iraqis so they can take the fight to the enemy. In the meantime, we will stay in the battlefield and achieve the victory for a generation of Americans to come." 53 per cent of respondents think the U.S. was wrong in going to war with Iraq.
Polling Data
Do you think that U.S. president George W. Bush was truthful and honest, based on the intelligence he was given, when he presented the case for war in Iraq, or do you think he deliberately misled Americans to build his case for war?
Oct. 2006 | Dec. 2005 | |
Truthful and honest | 39% | 45% |
Deliberately misled | 54% | 48% |
How likely is it that the new Iraqi government will be able to build a stable and reasonably democratic society?
Oct. 2006 | Mar. 2006 | |
Very likely | 6% | 11% |
Somewhat likely | 31% | 38% |
Not very likely | 36% | 31% |
Not likely at all | 23% | 17% |
Do you think the United States was right or wrong in going to war with Iraq?
Oct. 2006 | Mar. 2006 | Jan. 2006 | |
Right | 38% | 42% | 44% |
Wrong | 53% | 53% | 51% |
Source: Schulman, Ronca, & Bucuvalas (SRBI) Public Affairs / Time
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,002 American adults, conducted on Oct. 3 and Oct. 4, 2006. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
