(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - More adults in the United States believe their government’s decision to launch the coalition effort was a mistake, according to a poll by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. 62 per cent of respondents believe going to war with Iraq was the wrong thing for the U.S. to do, up seven points since October.

The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 4,079 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and 30,100 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 May 19, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman announced that the U.S. would send 39,000 soldiers to Iraq to replace troops scheduled to leave this year, adding, "All of these forces that we’re talking about today are replacement forces."

Polling Data

Do you think going to war with Iraq was the right thing for the United States to do or the wrong thing?

Source: Quinnipiac University Polling Institute
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,745 registered American voters, conducted from May 8 to May 12, 2008. Margin of error is 2.4 per cent.

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