Big drop in support for war in Iraq, poll finds

[davidinalameda]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/04/29/MNGOM6CPLJ1.DTL

Support for the war in Iraq has eroded substantially over the past several months, and Americans are increasingly critical of the way President Bush is handling the conflict, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

After initially expressing robust backing for the war, the public is now evenly divided over whether the American military should stay for as long as it takes to stabilize Iraq or pull out as soon as possible, the poll showed.

Asked whether the United States had done the right thing in taking military action against Saddam Hussein and Iraq, 47 percent of respondents said it had, down from 58 percent a month earlier and 63 percent in December, just after U.S. forces captured Saddam Hussein.



thank God people are opening their eyes

[ze_dscherman]

1. Don't worry: Powell Says Support for Iraq War Will Revive

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Thursday waning support among Americans for the occupation of Iraq would revive once U.S. forces there stamped out a surge of armed resistance.

SNIP

With fewer than half of Americans now telling pollsters they believe invading Iraq was the right thing to do, Powell acknowledged that "determined resistance" had given the military "tough" weeks.

"Obviously when casualties are going up, and April has been a particularly bad month for casualties...this causes people to stop and think and reflect, 'What are we doing?' and you can expect this to be reflected in the polls," Powell said during a news conference in Denmark.

"But I am also convinced that once we deal with this current difficult situation in Falluja and down in Najaf in that area, people will recognize we are on top of it and the polls will reflect that," Powell told reporters.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=4988295§ion=news

[Arugula Latte]

10. Yeah, sure, better times are just around that corner

Oh, wait, make it that corner. Okay, that one over there. Right after this corner. ...

[PaDUer]

11. Sure it will...

the coffins are starting to make their debut in NE PA...let's see how long these people are going to show their support for this! Young widows w/ young kids who think their daddy's going to come home!

[seemslikeadream]

2. The poll held after the new Photos

have come out should be interesting.

[cliss]

3. I was never deluded about this war.

As the clouds of war darkened on the horizon, I was biting my nails down to the nubs, thinking about what was to come. So -- better late than never.

I see so many parallels to the VietNam war in this one. However, I believe it took 15 years of death and mayhem for people to finally revolt. Wasn't this the real reason why we finally "declared victory" and packed our bags and came home?

People made it VERY clear that they'd had enough. And it was the casualties that did it. (no wonder they're hiding the coffins)

[yardwork]

8. I'm with you.

I was totally against this war from the beginning. I never believed the polls saying 95% of Americans supported it. I talked with Vietnam vets, conservatives, moderates, liberals - not one of them supported the war in the months leading up to our invasion. Not one of them thought it was a good idea.

Once the U.S. military went in, a lot of us hushed up. I feel a strong obligation to protect the troops who are doing the fighting. It wasn't their decision to go. I hoped that we could get in and out quickly.

That hasn't happened. Our worst fears are realized. Cheney and Rumsfeld and the rest of Chimpy's team don't have any idea how to run an invasion or an occupation. They are totally clueless - lost in their ideology.

It's time to get out, but I fear that will never happen. Cheney and the rest see dollar signs when they look at Iraq. They are still living in their fantasy world - the one where Iraqis greet us with flowers and work happily in the oil fields to provide lots and lots of money for American industry. Ain't gonna happen.

[teryang]

4. CNN just cited a poll

57 percent of Iraqis say US get out now.

[Joanne98]

5. And they haven't even seen the pictures yet. Yikes

[Ripley]

6. Someone had a link this morning..

To aljazeera...said it was up on their site. I couldn't get in...server was overloaded. Those asshole soldiers have just killed a hell of a lot more of our guys.

[seemslikeadream]

9. Betrayal

I don't think there will be a homecoming parade for them.

[robbedvoter]

7. That's why after June 30, no more coverage (translation of "handout")

Just like no one knows that talibam took over the governor's residence in Afghanistan, so too after June 30 there'll be a news blackout. And they'll talk about "victory"

[yellowcanine]

12. The flag draped coffins were the tipping point

For the first time we are regularly seeing major news media photos on the reality of the war. The WP this morning had a big picture front page above the fold of a woman holding her son while marines searched her house in the background. The kid looked absolutely terrified. It is these pictures that will turn the public against the war. Unless Bush finds a way to pull out by June 30, I think he loses the election. Kerry's medals and what he did with them don't mean squat as long as marines are dying and Iraqi kids are being terrorized. Bush made a huge miscalculation and all that will happen to him is he may lose the election. On the other hand a lot af American soldiers and Iraqi civilians have died and more will die before this massive cluster fuck finally dissipates.

[yellowcanine]

13. At least Powell didn't say there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I guess he knows better than to say that.

[retread]

14. Don't bet on it!

*

[LETSGETFREAKY]

15. I am a FORMER Bush supporter, actually used to be rather rabid

And I am aghast at his war-mongering and the way he seems to just innately feel that Democracy will truly work in Iraq in the way he wants it to work. I will write more later, but I just get so pissed off I might end up writing a small novel.