Washington

Public Opinion

IRAQ'S COSTS WORRY AMERICANS, POLL INDICATES
By Raymond Hernandez and Megan Thee

New York Times
September 17, 2005
Page A6

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/17/politics/17poll.html

WASHINGTON -- With Hurricane Katrina already costing the federal government tens of billions of dollars, more than 8 in 10 Americans are very or somewhat concerned that the $5 billion being spent each month on the war in Iraq is draining away money that could be used in the United States, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

The poll also shows that nearly half of Americans say that the war is distracting President Bush from addressing problems at home, though an equal number do not share that concern. <

Support for the war in Iraq has fallen to an all-time low, according to the poll. Only 44 percent now say the United States made the right decision in taking military action against Iraq, the lowest rating since the question was first asked by this poll more than two years ago.

The findings underscore the difficulty President Bush faces as he calls on the public to show patience and resolve with the American effort in Iraq, particularly in the face of a persistent insurgency, punctuated this week by the killings of nearly 200 people in coordinated assaults in Baghdad.

When asked how long American troops should remain in Iraq, for example, 52 percent of people interviewed called for an immediate withdrawal, even if that means abandoning President Bush's goal of restoring stability to that country.

Only 42 percent said that troops should remain for as long as it takes to accomplish that mission, 12 percentage points lower than slightly over a year ago, when the question was first asked.

The nationwide telephone poll was conducted Sept. 9 through 13, with 1,167 adults, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Nearly two-thirds of people surveyed said the war was having an impact in their communities. Of those, 39 percent said it was a negative impact and 19 percent said it was a positive impact. Here especially, the poll showed a stark racial divide. Fifty-eight percent of blacks said the war was having a negative impact, compared to only 36 percent of whites.

The poll found that the mounting casualties are wearing on the public. A plurality, 45 percent, said there had been more American military casualties in Iraq than they had expected.

The poll also found that nearly 60 percent now disapprove of the way Mr. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq. And nearly half of those surveyed said that they were not proud of what the United States was doing in that country.

The political divisions that have been present all along remain. Seventy-one percent of Democrats said the United States should leave as soon as possible, while 31 percent of Republicans and 52 percent of independents said the same thing.

The poll also suggests that there is a widespread reluctance among Americans to make any further financial sacrifices to continue waging the war, particularly in the wake of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina.

Ninety percent of people surveyed, including a majority of Republicans, said they would disapprove of cutting expenditures on domestic programs, like education and health care, to continue paying for the war.

"We've spent too much time and effort over there," said Jean Stubbs, 53, of Kentucky, who agreed to be interviewed after taking part in the poll and who identified herself as an independent. "We need to get out of there. There are just too many other things going on here at home. The biggest thing right now is the people who were hit by Katrina."

Joshua Rose, 25, an independent from Arcanum, Ohio, echoed those concerns. "I don't know what he's going to do to deal with Katrina," he said, referring to President Bush. "Where is the money coming from? I hope he cuts back on Iraq. I hope he's worrying about us in the U.S. today."

Americans do not see an end to the war soon, according to the poll. Thirty-eight percent said they expected American troops to be in Iraq for two to five years, while 28 percent said it would be longer. Only 26 percent said they expected the troops to be withdrawn within two years.

--Raymond Hernandez reported from Washington for this article, and Megan Thee from New York.  Marjorie Connelly and Marina Stefan contributed reporting from New York.