Poll Finds Most in U.S. Support Delaying a War
By PATRICK E. TYLER and JANET ELDER
Even after the administration's aggressive case for going to war soon in Iraq, a majority of Americans favor giving United Nations weapons inspectors more time to complete their work so that any military operation wins the support of the Security Council, the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll shows.
The public supports a war to remove Saddam Hussein. But Americans are split over whether the Bush administration and Secretary of State Colin L. Powell have made a convincing case for going to war right now, even though much of the public is inclined to believe that Iraq and Al Qaeda are connected in terrorism.
The poll found that while the economy still commands the greatest concern among Americans, the prospect of combat in Iraq, fear of terrorism and the North Korean nuclear standoff are stirring additional anxieties.
These worries may be taking a toll on Mr. Bush's support. His overall job approval rating is down to 54 percent from 64 percent just a month ago, the lowest level since the summer before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Three-quarters of Americans see war as inevitable, and two-thirds approve of war as an option. But many people continue to be deeply ambivalent about war if faced with the prospect of high casualties or a lengthy occupation of Iraq that further damages the American economy. Twenty-nine percent of respondents in the poll, which was conducted Monday through Wednesday, disapprove of taking military action against Iraq.
With major decisions of war and peace still pending, 59 percent of Americans said they believed the president should give the United Nations more time. Sixty-three percent said Washington should not act without the support of its allies, and 56 percent said Mr. Bush should wait for United Nations approval.
As concurrent crises converge on the White House, including a rancorous conflict within the NATO alliance over Iraq war planning, President Bush's job approval ratings have lost ground across the board. Fifty-three percent of Americans disapproved of the way he is handling the economy, and 44 percent disapproved of his overall management of foreign policy.
Though 53 percent of Americans said they approved of the way Mr. Bush is handling Iraq, only 47 percent approved of his foreign policy management over all.
Moreover, a year and a half after the Sept. 11 terrorist assault, only a third of Americans said they think the United States and its allies are winning the antiterror campaign, while 38 percent think that neither side is winning and 20 percent regard the terrorists as still having the upper hand. Only 49 percent of Americans think Mr. Bush has a coherent plan for dealing with terrorism.
If historic trends hold, a decision by Mr. Bush to go to war, even without United Nations backing, is likely to rally the country behind the president. Still, these poll results indicate that the reluctance many Americans feel about the costs of war represent a significant political risk for the Bush administration.
The nationwide telephone poll was conducted with 747 adults and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.
Americans, overwhelmingly, continue to take the threat of terrorist attacks very seriously, with 80 percent saying that another attack is either "very" or "somewhat" likely within the next few months. And the number of Americans paying closer attention to news media reports about the prospect of war has increased to 71 percent from 43 percent since September.
Still, while there is a high degree of awareness, substantial conflict and confusion exist among the public about Iraq and the antiterror campaign, so much so that 42 percent of those polled said they believed Saddam Hussein was involved in the Sept. 11 attacks. Neither the Bush administration nor any other authority has alleged such involvement.
More than anything, Americans remained concerned about the threat of Qaeda terrorism far more than any threat from Iraq, though concern about the threat from Baghdad has gained some ground.
posted on February 13, 2003 09:20:30 PM new
In case anyone missed it, this was ABC's lead story tonight....
False Alarm?
Terror Alert Partly Based on Fabricated Information
By Brian Ross, Len Tepper and Jill Rackmill
Feb. 13 — A key piece of the information leading to recent terror alerts was fabricated, according to two senior law enforcement officials in Washington and New York.
The officials said that a claim made by a captured al Qaeda member that Washington, New York or Florida would be hit by a "dirty bomb" sometime this week had proven to be a product of his imagination.
The informant described a detailed plan that an al Qaeda cell operating in either Virginia or Detroit had developed a way to slip past airport scanners with dirty bombs encased in shoes, suitcases, or laptops, sources told ABCNEWS. The informant reportedly cited specific targets of government buildings and Christian or clerical centers.
"This piece of that puzzle turns out to be fabricated and therefore the reason for a lot of the alarm, particularly in Washington this week, has been dissipated after they found out that this information was not true," said Vince Cannistraro, former CIA counter-terrorism chief and ABCNEWS consultant.
It was only after the threat level was elevated to orange — meaning high — last week, that the informant was subjected to a polygraph test by the FBI, officials told ABCNEWS.
"This person did not pass," said Cannistraro.
According to officials, the FBI and the CIA are pointing fingers at each other. An FBI spokesperson told ABCNEWS today he was "not familiar with the scenario," but did not think it was accurate.
Despite the fabricated report, there are no plans to change the threat level. Officials said other intelligence has been validated and that the high level of precautions is fully warranted.
posted on February 13, 2003 11:46:16 PM new
Of course, after they learned the truth, they moved the treat level up another notch -- just to terrorize Amereicans and to cause open hysteria. I think that move backfired on them.
posted on February 14, 2003 09:48:00 AM new
This year the Defense Department budget will be at least $365 billion; Shouldn’t Bush explain why we aren’t very well defended?
The Department of Homeland Security will cost $36.2 billion; Shouldn’t Bush explain why we aren’t very secure?
Taxpayers will also shell out an estimated $30 billion for the CIA; $4.3 billion for the FBI; and $3.5 billion for the National Security Agency.
After spending nearly a half-trillion a year on these defense agencies, the nation seems less secure than ever. Instead of uselessly issuing more terror alerts,
THIS ADMINISTRATION SHOULD HANG IT'S COLLECTIVE HEAD IN SHAME AND APOLOGIZE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FOR THEIR MONUMENTAL FAILURE TO DO THEIR JOB.
posted on February 14, 2003 10:01:11 AM new
The War on Information, Domestic Tranquility, and the Bill of Rights must be consuming quite a bit. Surely, it's not all going to duct tape research.
posted on February 14, 2003 10:18:10 AM new
IF there were an attack using biological agents, which there never will be unless the administration phonies one up as they did before, the agents come in sizes measured in tenths and hundredths of microns. Plastic sheeting is porous and most will pass a full micron so it's USELESS to think that there's any protection in their recommendations. On top of that, with all the TRILLIONS of dollars they won't even buy you the goddamned duct tape. Those lying assholes!
The people of this country should march into Washington and grab these jerks up, tar and feather them, and ride their asses out of town on a rail to prison.
posted on February 14, 2003 11:40:53 AM new
People are continuing to wake up, but they're expressing it in rather strange ways. Yesterday my wife was talking to my sister-in-law on the phone about this incident she encountered while grocery shopping in a large metropolitan area. My sister-in-law was reaching for a package at a meat counter when a guy beside her whom she had never seen before said, "It's not my fault." When she looked over at him, puzzled, he said, "I didn't vote for him." So she said, "Oh, you're talking about Bush." They then continued with a brief discussion of the problems.
posted on February 14, 2003 11:47:46 AM new
KRS,Who needs duct tape when you can get all that Priority mail tape for free from the government?? I am circumventing the system and stocking up on that.
Where does all that money go? Better yet, where is it coming from with the proposed tax cuts.
This country is being driven to ruin much faster than I would have thought possible.Truly, I am amazed.
posted on February 14, 2003 07:28:39 PM new
gravid,
Maybe I should remove the partial excerpt because it's not clear from the excerpt that the story is about the people in Iraq...waiting to be executed....not about the people here, who are just being lied to with propaganda from the Bush administration.
