June 24, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States are still disappointed with the coalition effort, according to a poll by TNS released by the Washington Post and ABC News. 63 per cent of respondents think the war with Iraq was not worth fighting, and 55 per cent think the U.S. should withdraw its military forces from Iraq in order to avoid further U.S. military casualties.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States are still disappointed with the coalition effort, according to a poll by TNS released by the Washington Post and ABC News. 63 per cent of respondents think the war with Iraq was not worth fighting, and 55 per cent think the U.S. should withdraw its military forces from Iraq in order to avoid further U.S. military casualties.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 4,103 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and 30,200 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.

In September 2007, commander of the Multi-National Force - Iraq David Petraeus and U.S. ambassador in Iraq Ryan Crocker provided a comprehensive assessment of the situation in Iraq to the U.S. Congress. In addition, U.S. president George W. Bush said U.S. forces in Iraq would be reduced by 5,700 troops in December. After July 2008, all troop withdrawals from Iraq will be suspended.

On Jun. 19, the House of Representatives voted 268-155 to approve a $162 billion U.S. war funding package, which does not include a timeline for the end of military operations in Iraq.

On Jun. 20, Bush expressed satisfaction, saying, "This legislation gives our troops the funds they need to prevail without tying the hands of our commanders in the field or imposing artificial timetables for withdrawal."

Polling Data

All in all, considering the costs to the United States versus the benefits to the United States, do you think the war with Iraq was worth fighting, or not?

	Jun. 2008	Apr. 2008	Feb. 2008
Worth fighting	34%	34%	34%
Not worth fighting	63%	64%	63%
Unsure	3%	2%	2%

Do you think the United States should keep its military forces in Iraq until civil order is restored there, even if that means continued U.S. military casualties; or, do you think the United States should withdraw its military forces from Iraq in order to avoid further U.S. military casualties, even if that means civil order is not restored there?

	Jun. 2008	Apr. 2008	Dec. 2007
Keep forces	41%	41%	43%
Withdraw forces	55%	56%	53%
No opinion	4%	3%	4%

Source: TNS / Washington Post / ABC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,125 American adults, conducted from Jun. 12 to Jun. 15, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.