(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States disagree with their government’s decision to launch the coalition effort, according to a poll by Hart/McInturff released by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News. 59 per cent of respondents think removing Saddam Hussein from power was not worth the number of U.S. military casualties and the financial cost of the war.

The coalition effort against Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,940 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and 29,000 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, and announced the possibility of a further decrease in July 2008.

On Dec. 20, Bush delivered his final State of the Union address. In his speech, the American president discussed the Iraq war, saying, "The mission in Iraq has been difficult and trying for our nation. But it is in the vital interest of the United States that we succeed. A free Iraq will deny al-Qaeda a safe haven. A free Iraq will show millions across the Middle East that a future of liberty is possible. A free Iraq will be a friend of America, a partner in fighting terror, and a source of stability in a dangerous part of the world."

Polling Data

When it comes to the war in Iraq, do you think that removing Saddam Hussein from power was or was not worth the number of U.S. military casualties and the financial cost of the war?

Source: Hart/McInturff / The Wall Street Journal / NBC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,008 American adults, conducted from Jan. 20 to Jan. 22, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

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