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WORLD / Middle East

AP Poll: Most see Iraq war as failure

(AP)
Updated: 2007-09-11 21:06

In the poll - taken in the days just before Petraeus' long-awaited
appearance - more people rated the troop increase a flop than a success
by 58 percent to 36 percent, with three in 10 Republicans joining
majorities of Democrats and independents in foreseeing failure.

Positive reviews of the troop increase were at about the same level as
they were in mid-January, just after Bush announced the buildup.

That didn't match Petraeus' appraisal.

"In the face of tough enemies in the brutal summer heat of Iraq,
coalition and Iraqi security forces have achieved progress in the
security arena," he told House lawmakers. He later added, "I believe
Iraq's problems will require a long-term effort. There are no easy
answers or quick solutions."

People calling it a mistake to go to war in March 2003 outnumbered those
calling it the right decision by 57 percent to 37 percent, numbers that
have stayed about level for more than a year. About a quarter of
Republicans, along with most Democrats and independents, labeled the war
an error.

Among those in the poll supporting the conflict is Ronald Shaul, 62, a
Republican and retired military intelligence officer.

"It was a logical outgrowth of the war on terror, started long ago by
Islamic extremists," said Shaul, who lives in Hopkinsville, Ky.

Overall, those viewing the war and the troop buildup most negatively
tended to be groups that often lean Democratic: females, minorities,
those with lower incomes and those with less education.

For example, about two-thirds of women and half of men said the troop
increase had not worked, while more minorities than whites said the war
had been a mistake.

But the war remains unpopular with another group crucial to both
political parties: moderates. Nearly two-thirds of them said the war and
troop increase were failing and that the conflict was a mistake from the
start.

Two groups that normally support the Bush administration - white
evangelical voters and conservatives - remained largely behind its war
strategy.

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