The Tide Is Changing

According to The Washington Post’s new poll, “for the first time since the war in Iraq began, more than half of the American public believes the fight there has not made the United States safer.”

Other interesting statistics:

• 75% of Americans say the number of casualties in Iraq is unacceptable.
• Nearly 6 in 10 say the war isn’t worth fighting.
• More than 4 in 10 are finding the Iraq Experience similar to that of Vietnam.
• 52% said the war in Iraq has not contributed to the long-term security of the United States.
• 52% disapprove of how Bush is handling his job, the highest of his presidency.
• 56% disapproved of Republicans in Congress, and an identical proportion disapproved of Democrats.
• “Six in 10 respondents said Bush and GOP leaders are not making good progress on the nation’s problems; of those, 67 percent blamed the president and Republicans while 13 percent blamed congressional Democrats.”
• 55% said Bush has done more to divide the country than to unite it.
• “By 50 percent to 49 percent, Americans approved of the way Bush is handling the campaign against terrorism, down from 56 percent approval in April, equaling the lowest rating he has earned on the issue that has consistently been his core strength with the public.”
• “Three in four Republicans said the Iraq invasion has boosted domestic security, while three in four Democrats said it has not. Political independents lean negative on the issue: About six in 10 said the war has not made Americans safer.”
• 44% believe the economy is doing well.
• “For the first time since April 2001, Democrats (46 percent) were trusted more than Republicans (41 percent) to cope with the nation’s problems.”
• “While six in 10 were confident that the United States was not violating the rights of detainees at the military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Americans were more skeptical that the government is protecting the rights of U.S. citizens at home. Only half said Americans’ rights were being adequately protected, down from 69 percent in September 2003.”

tags: poll, Iraq, George W. Bush, Republicans, Democrats, terrorism, detainees, Guantanamo Bay

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