American Public Opinion About the Situation in Iraq
Support for the War in Iraq
In recent weeks, public support for the war in Iraq has rebounded, after reaching a low of 49% in late January/early February. Fifty-six percent of Americans say it was worth going to war in Iraq, while 41% say it was not, according to a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll conducted March 26-28. The current level of support is essentially unchanged from earlier in March (55%), and is fairly typical of where it has been during the quieter moments of the conflict. Support surpassed 60% in the spring of 2003, when the United States had its early military success in Iraq; in July, after the reported deaths of Saddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay; and in December, after the capture of Hussein himself.
Former counter-terrorism czar Richard Clarke has criticized the Bush administration for being overly concerned with Hussein and not paying adequate attention to possible terrorist threats prior to -- and subsequent to -- the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The public is closely divided in its view on this matter: 46% say the Bush administration was too concerned about Hussein and did not pay enough attention to the threat al Qaeda posed to the United States after Sept. 11, while 49% say the Bush administration did in fact pay the right amount of attention to the threat from al Qaeda.
The public is also split fairly evenly as to whether the war with Iraq is another part of the war on terrorism -- as the Bush administration has argued -- or if it is something outside of that campaign. Fifty percent of Americans agree that the war with Iraq is another stage in the war on terrorism, while 48% say it is an entirely separate action. This reflects a slight shift in sentiment in recent months; the public is now somewhat more likely to view the Iraq war as distinct from the war on terrorism. An August 2003 Gallup Poll found 57% of Americans saying the Iraq war was part of the war on terrorism and 41% saying it was a separate military action.
President Bush's Handling of Iraq
Approval of the way George W. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq has inched back above 50%, as the March 26-28 CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll finds 51% of Americans approving and 47% disapproving of Bush on Iraq. In late January/early February, approval was at 46%, among the lowest readings of Bush's term.
Bush's record on Iraq closely tracks the trend line on whether the war was worth it, spiking in times of obvious progress and receding when there is little sign of it.
When Gallup asks who would better handle the situation in Iraq -- Bush or his Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry -- the public is more likely to side with Bush. A March 5-7 CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll shows 54% of Americans saying Bush would do the better job on Iraq, compared with 39% who say Kerry.