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Half of Americans See Iraq War as Failure

January 12, 2007

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States remain worried about the coalition effort, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 52 per cent of respondents think the U.S. mission in Iraq will be seen as a failure in the long run.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,019 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 22,800 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.

On Jan. 10, U.S. president George W. Bush introduced his new course of action for the coalition effort, which includes an increase in U.S. troop levels. Yesterday, Bush discussed the plan again, saying, "Over time, we can expect to see positive results, and that would be the Iraqis chasing down the murderers; that there will be fewer brazen acts of terror inside of Baghdad; that there will be growing trust between the different neighbourhoods. In other words, you'll begin to see a society that is somewhat more peaceful."

Polling Data

In the long run, will the U.S. mission in Iraq be seen as a success or a failure?

Jan. 4

Oct. 8

Sept. 15

Success

28%

29%

33%

Failure

52%

55%

47%

Source: Rasmussen Reports
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 800 likely American voters, conducted on Jan. 3 and Jan. 4, 2007. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.