By Richard Morin and Claudia Deane Washington Post Staff Writers Tuesday, June 24, 2003; Page A16
Most Americans would support the United States taking military action to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons despite growing public concern about the mounting number of U.S. military casualties in the aftermath of the war with Iraq, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
President Bush last week said the rest of the world should join the United States in declaring that it "will not tolerate" nuclear weapons in Iran -- a vow that most Americans appear willing to back with force. By 56 percent to 38 percent, the public endorsed the use of the military to block Iran from developing nuclear arms.
Support for a military solution in Iran came despite rising concern about the growing number casualties among U.S. military personnel in neighboring Iraq. About half said the current level of U.S. dead and wounded is "acceptable" -- down from two-thirds in early April.
The survey also found that support for the war with Iraq as well as for the way Bush is handling the situation in that country remains strong, but may be slowly ebbing.
Two in three -- 67 percent -- of those interviewed said they approve of the way Bush is dealing with Iraq. That's still a strong majority but down from 75 percent in late April, at the end of the conflict. Nearly as many -- 64 percent -- said the benefits of the war outweighed its cost, a drop from 70 percent in the late April survey.
Seven in 10 said they were concerned that the United States would become involved in a long and costly peacekeeping mission in Iraq, a figure unchanged in recent months.
The survey also suggests that the fog of war extended far beyond the Iraq battlefield. About one in four Americans incorrectly believes Iraq used chemical or biological weapons against U.S. forces during the conflict. Slightly more than six in 10 said Iraq had not, while the remainder weren't sure.
The national survey of 1,024 randomly selected adults conducted June 18-22 found that Bush's overall job approval rating remains strong. Nearly seven in 10 -- 68 percent -- approved of the job Bush was doing as president, down negligibly from April.
More than six in 10 said the decision to go to war was justified even if the United States does not find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. One in four said the conflict could be justified only if the U.S. locates chemical or biological weapons, or uncovers evidence that Iraq was actively trying to build or acquire nuclear arms.
Before the war, the Bush administration cited evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction as the primary justification for using military force to topple President Saddam Hussein.
As the war ended and weeks passed without the discovery of such weapons, some Democrats questioned whether Bush or members of his inner circle deliberately exaggerated the threat to justify going to war -- an argument that the latest Post-ABC poll suggests has had negligible effect on the president's public standing.
Concerns over mounting U.S. military casualties have soared largely among Democrats and independents, the survey found. In April, 56 percent of all Democrats believed U.S. troop losses had been acceptable; today 35 percent share that view. The proportion of those who viewed current casualty levels as acceptable dropped by 23 percentage points among political independents, to 43 percent. There was no change among Republicans.
Concern among women also has increased, with the proportion calling the casualties unacceptable increasing from 33 percent to 50 percent in the past seven weeks.