WaPo Gets latest poll context totally wrong - Milbank goofs

Poll: Most feel U.S. not safer since Iraq war

	Poll: Most feel U.S. not safer since Iraq war Pessimism regarding conflict is high, survey finds Wednesday, June 08, 2005 By Dana Milbank and Claudia Deane, The Washington Post WASHINGTON -- For the first time since the war in Iraq began, more than half of the American public believes that the fight there has not made the United States safer, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. While the focus in Washington has shifted from the Iraq conflict to Social Security and other domestic matters, the survey found that Americans continue to rank Iraq second only to the economy in importance -- and that many are losing patience with the enterprise. Nearly three quarters of Americans say the number of casualties in Iraq is unacceptable, while two-thirds say the U.S. military there is bogged down, and nearly 6 in 10 say the war was not worth fighting -- in all three cases matching or exceeding the highest levels of pessimism yet recorded. More than 4 in 10 believe the U.S. presence in Iraq is becoming analogous to the experience in Vietnam. Perhaps most ominous for President Bush, 52 percent said war in Iraq has not contributed to the long-term security of the United States, while 47 percent said it did. It was the first time a majority of Americans disagreed with the central notion that Bush has offered to build support for war: that the fight there will make Americans safer from terrorists at home. In late 2003, 62 percent thought the Iraq war aided U.S. security, and just three months ago, 52 percent thought so. Overall, more than half -- 52 percent -- disapprove of how Bush is handling his job, the highest of his presidency. A somewhat-larger majority -- 56 percent -- disapproved of Republicans in Congress and an identical proportion disapproved of Democrats. There were signs, however, that Bush and Republicans in Congress were receiving more of the blame for the recent standoffs over such issues as Bush's judicial nominees and Social Security. 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. For the first time, a majority, 55 percent, also said Bush has done more to divide the country than to unite it.
	Poll: Sending troops to Iraq a mistake
	Poll: Sending troops to Iraq a mistake Presidential contest a tie among likely voters Friday, June 25, 2004 Posted: 1258 GMT (2058 HKT) THE MORNING GRIND Weekdays: CNN.com's exclusive take on the election more videoVIDEO CNN's Bill Schneider on results of the newly released poll. premium contentPLAY VIDEO CNN's Brent Sadler on simultaneous attacks in Iraq. premium contentPLAY VIDEO CNN's Susan Candiotti on an anti-Bush group's use of felons in a voter registration drive. premium contentPLAY VIDEO RELATED Interactive: Poll questions • Bush: War not inciting terrorists • Bush's Turkey visit caps thaw • Kerry calls Bush divisive • Bush touts AIDS response YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS Iraq John F. Kerry George W. Bush or Create your own Manage alerts | What is this? WASHINGTON (CNN) -- For the first time since the start of the war in Iraq, a majority of Americans surveyed in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll say the United States made a mistake in sending troops to that country. Fifty-four percent of those polled said it was a mistake to send U.S. troops to Iraq, compared with 41 percent who expressed that sentiment in early June. Most respondents to the poll, 55 percent, also said they don't believe the war has made the United States safer from terrorism -- rejecting an argument that President Bush has repeatedly advanced in his rationale for the war. Yet the poll, results of which were released Thursday, also found that Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has made little headway among respondents on the issue of Iraq, which has figured prominently on the campaign trail. Kerry, a four-term U.S. senator from Massachusetts, and Bush are essentially tied when poll respondents are asked who would better handle the situation in Iraq. Forty-seven percent said Bush would do a better job on Iraq, compared with 46 percent who picked Kerry. Commander in chief And while six in 10 of those polled said they believe Kerry could handle the job of commander-in-chief, most indicated that they trust Bush more in that role, 51 percent to 43 percent. The poll, based on interviews with 1,005 Americans -- including 521 likely voters -- was conducted by telephone June 21-23. The margin of error varied by question, from a low of 3 percentage points to 4.5 percentage points. The poll was released on the same day that a wave of attacks on Iraqis and coalition forces left more than 90 dead. (U.S. could send more troops to Iraq) The impact of the attacks on opinion recorded in the poll was not a factor since the survey was taken earlier this week.