[lbo-talk] From 72% to 58% (Americans regret invasion, but still endorse occupation)

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

Marvin Gandall marvgandall at rogers.com, Tue Dec 21 11:22:27 PST 2004
[lbo-talk] Americans regret invasion, but still endorse occupation:
>56 Percent in Survey Say Iraq War Was a Mistake
>Poll Also Finds Slight Majority Favoring Rumsfeld's Exit
>By John F. Harris and Christopher Muste Washington Post Staff Writers
>Tuesday, December 21, 2004; Page A04
<snip>
>A strong majority of Americans, 58 percent, support keeping military forces
>in Iraq until "civil order is restored," even in the face of continued U.S.
>causalities.
<snip>
>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14266-2004Dec20.html

Respondents to Washington Post/ABC polls have been more sanguine 
about the occupation than those to other polls, but what's 
interesting is the trend:

5. Do you think (the United States should keep its military forces in 
Iraq until civil order is restored there, even if that means 
continued U.S. military casualties); OR, do you think (the United 
States should withdraw its military forces from Iraq in order to 
avoid further U.S. military casualties, even if that means civil 
order is not restored there)?

         Keep forces  Withdraw forces  No opinion  
12/19/04  58             39              3
6/20/04   57             42              1
5/23/04   58             40              2              
4/18/04   66             33              1
11/16/03  62             34              4
10/29/03  58             38              3                     
9/13/03   65             32              3                     
8/24/03   69             27              4                     
7/10/03   72             26              2

Source: 
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/polltrend_122004.html>

Since July 2003, support for the occupation has declined from 72% to 
58%.  The longer the occupation will go on, the fewer its supporters 
will be.
-- 
Yoshie

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