U.S. worries about the toll Iraq is taking, poll finds

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U.S. worries about the toll Iraq is taking, poll finds

By Megan Thee, The New York Times
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2005

NEW YORK Two and a half years into the war in Iraq, Americans are worried about the toll it is taking on the United States, both in the mounting casualties and the drain of resources needed at home. And although they anticipate a long, protracted American involvement, they say Iraq will never become a stable democracy, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.

The poll also suggested that there was widespread reluctance to make sacrifices to continue to pay for the mission in Iraq.

Ninety percent of those surveyed, including a majority of Republicans, disapprove of Washington cutting spending on domestic programs to pay for the war, almost 80 percent would not be willing to pay more in taxes and 55 percent disapprove of eliminating recent tax cuts to raise revenue.

And Americans say they are feeling the impact of the war on their communities, a sentiment that is more pronounced among blacks than whites.

A majority of all respondents said that the war in Iraq was having an impact on their communities - 27 percent rated the impact as major and 37 percent as minor. Among blacks, 42 percent said the impact was major and 26 percent said it was minor.

Those in the South were affected more than those in other regions: 34 percent said the impact was major and 31 percent said it was minor.

Support for the war is at an all-time low. Forty-four percent now say the United States did the right thing in taking military action against Iraq, the lowest reading since the question was first asked more than two years ago.

A majority, nearly 60 percent, now disapprove of the way President George W. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq, while 36 percent approve. Almost half of those surveyed said that they were not proud of what the United States is doing in Iraq.

When asked how long U.S. troops should remain in Iraq, a majority said they should leave as soon as possible, even if Iraq is not yet a stable democracy. Fifty-two percent called for an immediate departure and 42 percent said troops should remain for as long as it takes to make sure Iraq is a stable democracy.

The political divisions that have been present all along, remain.

Seventy-one percent of Democrats said the United States should leave as soon as possible, while 31 percent of Republicans and 52 percent of independents took that position.

The poll found that the casualties had been particularly wearing on the public. Forty-five percent said there had been more American military casualties in Iraq than they had expected.

The nationwide telephone poll was conducted Friday through Tuesday with 1,167 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Americans do not see an end to the war any time soon. Thirty-eight percent of those polled said U.S. troops would be in Iraq for two to five years while 28 percent expected that it would be even longer than that. Only 26 percent said that troops would be out of Iraq within two years.

Half of those surveyed said that Iraq would never become a stable democracy, while 43 percent believed that a stable democracy would be achieved but that it would take longer than a year or two.

 

This part really stood out for me: