CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll: War in Iraq a Mistake, Bush & Kerry Tied.

[MallRat]

The underlying numbers look ominous for Bush.

Poll: Sending troops to Iraq a mistake
Presidential contest a tie among likely voters
Thursday, June 24, 2004 Posted: 3:26 PM EDT (1926 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- For the first time since the start of the war in Iraq, a majority of Americans say the United States made a mistake in sending troops to that country, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Thursday.

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 poll respondents, 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.

<snip>

Looking at the presidential race, the poll found a tie among likely voters: 49 percent for Bush and 48 percent for Kerry. When poll respondents were asked to consider independent Ralph Nader, the breakdown was: 48 percent for Bush, 47 percent for Kerry and 3 percent for Nader.

The poll found some advantages for Kerry. His favorable rating is higher than Bush's, 58 percent to 53 percent, and it has grown over the past few months as Bush's has fallen. Kerry also gets higher ratings on who would better handle the economy -- 53 percent picked the Democrat, while 40 percent selected Bush. And the economy was identified by more voters, 41 percent, as the most important role for the president -- ahead of both managing the government or acting as commander-in-chief.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/24/poll.iraq/index.html

[lancdem]

1. When Kerry picks his VP he'll get some momentum

A tie at this point is bad for the incumbent and good for the challenger.

[sampsonblk]

2. Wait till F-9/11 hits

These numbers aren't going to stay the same. Wait till next week, when the furor of this film hits the media. There will be charges and countercharges. IMHO, this is going to suck up all the air from the campaign for a short while, and Bush will be called on to personally refute some of the claims of Moore.

After that, we will have a better idea of where this thing is headed.

[RedEarth]

3. Good news, but it just floors me that 40+% can even think of voting for

bush.....where have they been for the last year.

[tritsofme]

4. Kerry leads amongst "Registered Voters" 49-45

only thing that has changed is the way they calculate what is a likely voter.

Because in June 3-6, Kerry lead registered voters 49-44.

[Toucano]

5. kick n/t

[John_H]

6. I love the way the TV whores played this poll.

Why Didn't Kerry jump to a huge lead!?!?!?!? The Kerry Campaign isn't taking off!!!!!!!

LOL! Proof they know it's over. Proof they know the war they cheerleaded into existence has been rejected.

The good news: If slide continues for another month, they'll jump off the Chimp bandwagon just as shamelessly as they hopped on.

[Mechatanketra]

7. Split feelings.

On the one hand, it's good to finally be in the majority (or rather, to see the majority catch up to me).

On the other hand, we're still basically saying that almost half of all Americans are basically unsuited to live on a planet with other human beings, by the standards we established at Nuremburg. At this point, I don't think there's a person over 18 years and 80 IQ in the country who sincerely believes that Iraq posed an actual threat to American lives that necessitated using our military to defend against -- which is the only acceptable justification for using military force. What we're basically saying is, 44% of Americans don't care if they're responsible for the deaths of thousands as long as it's nobody they know. And that scares the f*** out of me.

There was a flurry of discussion after Abu Ghraib concerning the psychological experiments on authority where something like two-thirds of test subjects showed little compunction about apparently torturing someone (via electric shocks) just because they were told to by someone else. This is generally presented as a warning about the effects of authority -- "there's about a two in three chance you could be manipulated into doing bad things. It could happen to anyone!" -- but I've begun to suspect over the course of the last year the more parsimonious explanation is that it's a warning about the epidemic nature of human indifference. In short: how do we know it's not always going to be the same two-thirds, that the third who 'passes' won't always pass under similar circumstances? Is it really that so many people are being swayed by percieved authority, or just that 66% of us are basically bastards?

[NeoConsSuck]

8. And would it have been a mistake..

if only ragheads had been killed?

Fuck you america! Or at least the american slime that originally supported this genocide.

[mountainvue]

9. Tied?

What's it gonna take?

[nolabels]

11. The establishment and the Rich need to keep people divided

Stand up to tell them to send their sons and daughters over there.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/iraq/bal-te.troops23jun23,0,7220861.story?coll=bal-home-headlines
Iraq force may grow by 25,000
Possible mix of U.S. reservists, regulars would bolster security; 'We may need more people,' officer say

By Tom Bowman
Sun National Staff
Originally published June 23, 2004
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Central Command has informally asked Army planners for up to five more brigades - about 25,000 troops - to augment the American force of 138,000 soldiers and Marines now in Iraq, military officers and Pentagon officials said.

Some officers said any increase might well be lower, perhaps involving 10,000 troops that would be a mix of active-duty and National Guard units.

"For a period of time, we may need more people," said a senior officer familiar with the planning, noting the perilous security situation and the needs of Iraq's new interim government, which is to assume sovereignty a week from today. "It's clearly being driven by requirements in theater."

It is uncertain whether a formal request for more troops has been made by Gen. John P. Abizaid, head of Central Command, which is responsible for U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region. Neither is it clear that discussions between Central Command and the Army have reached Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

Unstable Iraq

Even with 22,000 troops from other nations, primarily Britain, joining the American force, the U.S.-led coalition does not control Iraq's borders, has taken substantial casualties along roads and highways, and avoids key cities such as Fallujah
(snip)

They want a cheap reliable source of oil for their machines, and yes it's more than just oil, but should also be more than just poor peoples children

ON edit: Should keep what I really think about them to myself, sorry for the rough language.

Besides nothing wrong with being civil, Dick.

[struggle4progress]

10. Public Opinion Watch - June 23, 2004

The latest ABC News/Washington Post poll suggests rather strongly that President Bush has failed to generate much political benefit from a series of events that has included a good jobs report, some diplomatic progress on the Iraq situation, and the funeral of Ronald Reagan. In the poll, conducted June 17-20, Kerry is ahead of Bush among registered voters by 8 points (53-45).
<snip>

In perhaps the poll's most startling result, the public now says it prefers Kerry over Bush on the question of who would do a better job handling the U.S. campaign against terrorism (48-47). That's a big change from late May, when Bush was leading Kerry 52-39 - which, in turn, was down from a 21-point Bush lead the month before.
<snip>

Of Bush's approval ratings in other areas, only one, for education, breaks 50 percent, coming in at 51 percent approval/45 percent disapproval. The others are just plain bad: the economy (46/53, barely changed from the past two months); international affairs (43/55); taxes (42/54); prescription drug benefits for the elderly (40/50); the federal budget deficit (39/56); and health care (39/57).

Doesn't the public approve of anything? Sure: Bill Clinton. His approval rating is up seven points in the past year to a healthy 62 percent today. Perhaps the public's increased misgivings about Bush's performance are making the Clinton era, despite Clinton's personal foibles, look pretty good by comparison.

http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=98452

[vernon_nackulus]

12. Tied?

Somehow I don't believe many people who think the war is a mistake still support Bush.