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Iraq War Justification Hits Lowest Point in U.S.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Few adults in the United States believe the rationale for the coalition effort was correct, according to a poll by the New York Times and CBS News. 61 per cent of respondents think the United States should have stayed out of Iraq, up 10 points since April.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,452 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 25,500 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 May 24, the House of Representatives voted 280-142 on the Iraq supplemental spending bill, which approves $100 billion U.S. for the military missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Senate ratified the measure in an 80-14 vote. 69 per cent of respondents think Congress should allow funding for the Iraq war, but only on the condition that the U.S. sets benchmarks for progress and the Iraqi government is meeting those goals.
On May 26, U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney discussed the current state of affairs, saying, "In the struggle against terror, no country has had more battlefield deaths, or lost more civilians, than Iraq itself. They and their elected leaders are striving to preserve democracy against direct attack by merciless enemies. And they can know that our country, as in other times and other places, stands firmly for the cause of democracy." 63 per cent of respondents think the United States should set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq sometime in 2008.
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?
May 2007 | Apr. 2007 | Mar. 2007 | |
Right thing | 35% | 44% | 39% |
Stayed out | 61% | 51% | 56% |
Don't know | 4% | 5% | 5% |
Which of these comes closest to your opinion?
Congress should allow funding, but | 69% |
Congress should allow all funding for | 15% |
Congress should block all funding | 13% |
Not sure | 3% |
Do you think the United States should or should not set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq sometime in 2008?
May 23 | Apr. 24 | Apr. 12 | |
Should | 63% | 64% | 57% |
Should not | 34% | 32% | 38% |
Unsure | 3% | 4% | 5% |
Source: CBS News / New York Times
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,125 American adults, conducted from May 18 to May 23, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.