CBS Poll: Was Iraq War Worth It?

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/08/13/opinion/polls/main568108.shtml

A majority of Americans, 55%, continues to believe that removing Saddam Hussein was a worthwhile effort, despite its costs. This has not changed in the past month, though it remains down from the 65% of Americans who thought so in May.

But when asked to evaluate the overall results of the war so far, Americans are split, with nearly half saying those results have not been worth the costs.

--snip--

Although U.S. and coalition forces continue their efforts to bring stability and order to Iraq, Americans are increasingly unlikely to say those efforts are going well. While 53% say the U.S. efforts are going well today, that is down from 60% who thought so last month, and down even more from the 72% who thought things were going well in May.

Partisans hold different assessments on the state of affairs in Iraq: nearly three-quarters of Republicans say things are going well (though only 10% of them say things are going “very well”) while 57% of Democrats believe things are going badly.

[kskiska]

1. If they could take a look into Ward 57

at Walter Reed Hospital, they just might change their minds.

[leesa]

2. Sure, Right. Lot's of hopeful denial here

[Paragon]

3. Ah, "the costs"

Good ol' vague American media. If the American people actually knew and/or cared about what "the costs" actually are, we'd have been out of there a long time ago.

[RedSock]

4. WAS???

WAS it worth it? Why, is it over?

F you, CBS.

[fizzana]

5. To their credit, ABC news tonight did a feature on casualties

and interviewed a couple of people who said that the casualties are far worse than the military is letting on, both in numbers and severity of the injuries, particularly lost limbs.

[fizzana]

6. All it will take is one major attack in which a number of US troops

are killed and these sentiments will change in a hurry. It's a case of when, not if that attack will happen.

The Baathists are still causing shit, the Shiites are getting stirred up and outside terrorists are filtering into Iraq with ease. It's only going to get worse.

[indictrichardperle]

7. it makes you wonder

if the major media would honestly report when * and the iraq war support both drop below 50% ? I think they will manipulate the polls to always keep the numbers above 50%, sheeple need to know they are in the "majority", before they can know what to think :eyes:

[fizzana]

8. I would like to think we have enough freedom left here that

when support for the war inevitable drops below 50% the media will report it.

If things start to really go bad in Iraq this administration will make Nixon and his gang look like composed rational people. Once that happens the media won't hold back because their # 1 concern is still ratings and not propping up Bush.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

20. Tet Offensive

The Pentagon had been issuing optimistic statements for months about the progress of the war in Vietnam. The Tet Offensive shattered their public relations campaign and turned many Americans against the war.

[fob]

22. Was it really the Tet Offensive that turned the tide OR

the reporting of that to the American public?

That conundrum I think is the problem we are having with the bush* popularity** thing today.

bush* are a national disgrace

[Dan]

9. Patriotism and Supporting a War is cheap ....

When you sit your ass on a couch and observe death and dying on TV.

From what I have seen, those that support this war are not demanding that Congress increase taxes to pay for it;

Nor have they indicated that they are willing to support a draft of all eligible males/females to provide troops to fight it;

Nor have they demanded accountability from this Administration on the real costs to this nation for being involved in this war;

Sadly, this is a War that would never have happened if we had a Congress worth more than a bucket of piss.

I bet the Nation's collective butt is going to pucker up when the *idiot has to come before Congress and Nation - and say the financial cost of this war is going to run anywhere from $100 - $600 billion dollar. Given that his tax cuts will result in permanently reduced revenues, I am not sure where the money to pay for this is going to come from. I don't believe that the foreign markets are going to continue funding our deficits - because they are increasing waking up that our treasury is being looted by the gangsters in office.

Once the financial bill has been presented to the nation and paid (how?) in all probability the people of Iraq are going to hate us - and I suspect that the ultimate payback is going to be a bitch. But then, as some have identified *Idiot will just treat Iraq like the 51st State and ignore them - once Chaney has the "Oil - that we did not go war for" under the control of his corporation.

Sorry, I just don't want to hear about these sunshine patriots.

[dfong63]

10. was it worth it?!

you mean some people think there has been an upside? what's that? how has removing Saddam made life any better for the American people???

[Skip Intro]

11. Many think "supporting the troops" requires "supporting the war"

This poll, and others like it, reflect a misguided sense of patriotism. The few conservatives in my family all start off their support the war speeches, which have grown tame over the last few months, with "well, now that we have troops over there, we can't criticize..." They seem confused when I say the best way to support the troops is to impeach bush...

This poll measures something, but I don't think it measures real support for the illegal, unjust invasion of Iraq.

[TeeYiYi]

12. I doubt they asked this couple if Iraq was worth it . . .

Richard S. Eaton and his wife, Sharon Noble Eaton hold hands at their
home in Guilford, Conn., Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2003, as they speak about
their son, Staff Sgt. Richard S. Eaton Jr. The Eatons were informed
Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2003 that their son had died of pulmonary embolism
while serving in Iraq (AP Photo/Bob Child)

TYY

[Pallas180]

13. Pulmonary embolism caused by?? a vaccine they cant sue the

manufacturer for because the mfr. was in one of
the secret meetings with Cheney and Rumsfeld.

[Fovea]

14. Poll

Was CBS beating their wife, or their meat when they set up this poll?

[0rganism]

15. Maybe they oughta do a separate poll of the US troops in Iraq?

You know, the guys coming under daily attacks with RPGs and carbombs, in 110^ heat, for fast food wages. The whole "worth it despite the costs" would actually MEAN SOMETHING then.

Or, hell, why not poll the Iraqis? The people who are supposedly overjoyed to be "liberated", at any cost? Their opinion has more merit, from where I sit, than any poll of TV-zombie Americans.

All this poll tells me is that propaganda is having its desired effect, but the sliding support means the BFEE needs to make a mortgage payment to the yellow press.

[Aidoneus]

16. lies and mass murder put to a cost/benefit analysis..

and here I thought I couldn't feel more repulsed by this.. :eyes:

[0007]

17. Not many will admit this was a mistake

*

[Dover]

18. It was worth it for the contractors who have and will continue to benefit.

That's the only benefit...for a few.
The newest airline/missile scare will also pump money into the contractors who will install the anti-missile technology into over 1500 commercial airlines at a million dollars a pop. What a scam.

[teryang]

19. Was? Is it over?

What a headline. I don't think all the costs are in yet.

[booksenkatz]

21. Oh, it's definitely been worth it!!!!

I am sooooo happy to have had my job eliminated because my company's been in a hiring freeze since March 2002 because the economy is in the toilet because we keep sending billions and billions of dollars to the shitfest in Iraq. I am thrilled that our local schools are suffering, class sizes are skyrocketing, because we can't afford to pay for new teachers, and we have no money here locally to pay to keep up our infrastructure, because the states are bleeding red ink because the economy is in the toilet because (see above). I couldn't be happier to know that if my toddler chooses to remain in America when he grows up, he and his generation will have to shoulder a massive fiscal burden, and it thrills me no end that his quality of life as an American will be far worse than mine. I adore it that my best friend the cop, and her husband the cop, can't afford to help their daughter get into a decent college because we don't pay cops squat. If you want a college education in this country, you'd better be rich.

Oh, yes, it's a sacrifice, but it's a sacrifice worth making so that Bush and his cronies can make billions and pump that Texas tea!

</end of bitter sarcasm>

[PATRICK]

23. random computer samples

list of respondees. I wonder what computer and software they are using and whether it is a "popular" brand among pollsters? The put that out there so nonchalantly as if the depersonalized computer makes everything fair.

I wonder. Diebold?

[Skittles]

24. DENIAL

it's hard for people to say that our soldiers are dying for NOTHING.

[gristy]

25. Was this poll conducted by phone?

And only of people who still answer their phone in the evening even though they can't identify who's calling from the caller id?

Hmmm, interesting demographic...

[bodhisattava]

26. One of the lessons all US administrations have learned after

Vietnam is the impact of showing dead and wounded people in war zones on TV and actually allowing journalists into the theater of war.Thus was born the idea of embedded reporters and stage management of war news. It is now even hard to see any independent
interviews with soldiers in Iraq.

This kind of sanitized reporting is having the desired effect of keeping the horrors of war out of the public's eye.Along with the fact that the army now is a total volunteeer army with poor black, white and hispanic young men constituting the enlisted recruits,the rest of the population can spout patriotic slogans without being affected by the war. No wonder the support for the war is high.

Even going to ward 57 will not change this because the sons and daughters of cabinet members, congressmen, senators, wealthy people
are not likely to be found there.

Of course, the countless innocent Iraqi civilians don't count.This from a country that prosecuted the Nazi criminals for waging aggressive war on flimsy pretexts against powerless countries!