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More Americans See Iraq War as Failure
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - More adults in the United States think the coalition effort is not proceeding adequately, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 56 per cent of respondents think the U.S. mission in Iraq will be seen as a failure in the long run, up four points since early June.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,646 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 26,900 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. On Jul. 12, Bush discussed the Iraqi government's progress, declaring, "Of the 18 benchmarks Congress asked us to measure, we can report that satisfactory progress is being made in eight areas."
On Jul. 25, U.S. defence secretary Robert Gates said a contingency plan for a reduction of U.S. troops is being developed, adding, "Such planning is indeed taking place with my active involvement as well as that of senior military and civilian officials and our commanders in the field."
Polling Data
In the long run, will the U.S. mission in Iraq be seen as a success or a failure?
Jul. 19 | Jun. 5 | May 8 | |
Success | 27% | 32% | 28% |
Failure | 56% | 52% | 53% |
Source: Rasmussen Reports
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 800 likely American voters, conducted on Jul. 18 and Jul. 19, 2007. Margin of error is 4 per cent.