Media hand-wringing about Iraq has not had the intended effect, according to a new poll. The American people have been watching this conflict closely, including the embedded correspondents' reports that show the courage and skill of our military relatively unfiltered. Determination is high.
As the war in Iraq enters its second week, President George W. Bush’s approval rating rose to 68 percent—a 15-percent increase from two weeks ago, according to the latest Newsweek poll.
The President polled well for his handling of the Iraqi conflict, and respondents also gave him higher marks than in previous weeks for his efforts to improve the economy. Fifty-three percent of those polled say they approve of the way Bush is handling the economy—the highest number since May 2001. An even greater number support his efforts to remove Saddam Hussein from power. Seventy percent of those polled approve of the way Bush his actions in Iraq, Bush’s best ranking since Newsweek began polling Americans on the issue last September. It’s also a 17 percent jump from the percentage who approved of Bush’s “policies to deal with the threat posed by Iraq and its leader Saddam Hussein” in late January, when respondents were last asked the question.
Despite concerns voiced this week by some analysts that the war might take longer than was initially expected, nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of those polled say they believe that the Bush Administration has a “well-thought-out plan” for using military force against Iraq—up sharply from 49 percent in late September. And nearly half of Americans polled (49 percent) say they would support continuing U.S. military action in Iraq for more than a year, if that were how long it took to disarm Iraq and remove Saddam.
Posted by Alan at March 29, 2003 03:17 PM