Americans Divided on Support for War in Iraq: Poll

WASHINGTON, Aug 13 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A majority of Americans favor waging war on Iraq with approval from both allies and Congress, but fewer would be willing to support a ground war if U.S. casualties were high, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll published Tuesday, August 13.

Slightly more than three quarters of the people surveyed view Iraq as a threat, 69% support some form of military action to force President Saddam Hussein from power and only 22% opposed such action, said the poll.

More than half, 57%, support an invasion with ground troops, while 36% opposed such an action. But support drops to 40% if it would cause "a significant number of casualties."

The strong support for military action, however, dropped to 54% when people were asked if they still felt the same if U.S. allies opposed such plans.

People were divided on whether U.S. President George W. Bush had a "clear policy" on Iraq, with 45% agreeing that he did, and 42% disagreeing. In contrast, 58% said in a 1998 survey that President Bill Clinton had a clear policy toward Iraq, reports the Post.

And 75% said Bush should seek Congressional authorization before launching a war. Fifty-nine percent said Congress should make the final decision if Bush and lawmakers disagreed on military force.

This is in comparison with two-thirds who said just before the 1991 Persian Gulf War that his father, President George H.W. Bush, should get such authorization before attacking Iraq, reports news agencies.

The survey was about evenly split on whether any final decision should be made by Bush, 48%, or Congress, 44%.

The poll indicates the public wants the president to win the support of Congress and U.S. allies for whatever action he chooses to take - agreement that may prove difficult to obtain, reports the Post.