On the fourth anniversary of George Bush's ill-fated invasion of Iraq, support for the war is still shrinking. Today, Bush asked for patience and said even with his new infusion of troops, it could take months to turn around his abject failure in Iraq. Personally, I don't think he's got that much time.
Neither the Americans nor the Iraqis believe in the war anymore. When Bush first invaded Iraq, a majority of Americans supported his actions - probably because his lies had convinced them that Saddam actually posed a threat to the U.S.
But the truth has become obvious, and more Americans oppose the war with every passing year. Here are the numbers according to CNN/Opinion Research polls:
In 2003, 72% of Americans supported the war
In 2004, 48% supported the war
In 2005, 47% supported the war
In 2006, 40% supported the war
Today, only 32% still support Bush's war
More than two-thirds of all Americans currently oppose the Iraq war, including one-fourth of all Republicans. In Iraq, the bottom is falling out of support for the war also as the hard truth is setting in. ABC polled Iraqis, and the numbers are not pretty:
53% of Iraqis have had a friend or family member hurt or killed, and 86% worry that the violence will strike a loved one.
In 2005, 63% of Iraqis felt safe in their own neighborhood, but today that number is just 26%.
In 2005, 71% of Iraqis thought their lives were going well, but today that has dropped to 39%.
In 2005, 54% said their electric power was insufficient, but today that number has grown to 88%.
In 2005, 30% rated their economic situation as poor, but today that number has climbed to 64%.
In 2004, only 17% of Iraqis thought it was acceptable to attack U.S. troops. Today, 51% find it acceptable, and a full 78% oppose the U.S. presence in Iraq.
This does not sound like progress to me. This is a war that is losing support in both countries and accomplishing nothing for either country. Bush needs to listen to the people and get our troops out. It should be obvious by now that a military solution cannot be imposed in Iraq. Bush's continued efforts to do so will simply cost more American and Iraqi lives without coming any nearer to a solution.
Only the Iraqis can decide what is best for Iraq. America should withdraw and let them start to create their own solution. Keeping American troops in Iraq just prolongs the whole mess.
Bring our troops home - NOW!
This is a war that is losing support in both countries and accomplishing nothing for either country.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen this recent poll of Iraqis?
This quote from a commenter pretty much says it all about the ORB poll.
ReplyDelete"Suffice to say that the ORB survey results are at least highly questionable on numerous grounds. These include the apparent political bias of the polling organization (judging from its website); the lack of detailed information about its sampling methodology; the absurdly large sample size, suggesting a lack of understanding that it is sampling selection not sample size that determines accuracy; the reliance on unnamed "partners" in Iraq to conduct the interviews; and the fact that ORB financed the survey independently, suggesting a lack of accountability to a client."
Jobsanger,
ReplyDeleteSome people still have their heads stuck in W's ass claiming it smells like roses.
It is truly sad.