Poll: South now opposes Iraq at same or higher levels as rest of US

[tpsbmam]

From the Institute for Southern Studies at NC State Univ.

http://southernstudies.org/SouthIraqWarRelease_Oct06.pdf

(snips)



(13 Southern states were sampled.)

The survey reveals that Southerners, after showing disproportionate support for the war early on, now doubt U.S. policy in Iraq just as strongly as people in other regions of the country, and in some cases more so. Among the findings:
• 57% of Southerners believe the U.S. “should have stayed out of Iraq,” compared to 44% who think the U.S. “did the right thing” by taking military action. Nationally, 58% of the public believes the U.S. should have stayed out and 43% now agree with military action.
• Southerners are skeptical about the goals of the Iraq mission. 29% of Southerners agree with the Bush Administration’s position that “Iraq is the central front in the war on terrorism,” compared to 25% nationally. But 30% in Southern states – the same as the national average – believe the main reason the U.S. is in Iraq is “to ensure access to oil.”
• By at least one measure, Southerners are more frustrated with the war than their counterparts in other regions. Asked if they were “proud” or “sad” about Iraq, a surprising 62% of respondents in the South said they were “very sad” about the course of the war, compared to only 56% in other regions of the country. Only 10% of those surveyed in the South say they are “somewhat proud” or “very proud” of the Iraq mission -- slightly less than those polled in other states.
• 30% of those polled in Southern states say the U.S. should “withdraw completely” from Iraq. Those in non-Southern states were less likely to call for a total withdrawal of U.S. troops (26%), but more likely to think U.S. troop levels should be decreased “some” or “a lot” – 34% in non-Southern states, compared to 26% in the South. Put together, 56% of Southerners and 59% in other regions support a decrease or withdrawal of U.S. troops.


The results signal a shift in Southern attitudes towards Iraq. As recently as July 2005, a Pew Center poll found 53% of Southerners believed using military force against Iraq was “the right decision,” the highest level of support in the country. Most polls since 2002 have shown support for the Iraq war in Southern states rating higher than, or even with, national attitudes.

The poll also looked at the public’s willingness to accept the future human and material costs of the ongoing counterinsurgency campaign in Iraq. When asked to provide “an acceptable number of U.S. military deaths” in Iraq, 63% of respondents in Southern states and 68% in other regions said “zero.”

When asked later in the survey how much more money the US should “spend in order to complete the mission in Iraq,” 50% of Southerners and 47% of respondents elsewhere said no additional dollars should be spent.

[warrens]

1. What was that big fat pink thing I just saw fly by?

These asshats will be back to warmongering pretty soon, I bet. They can't help themselves...when a war comes up, all the morans can think is "whoop ass!" Not that there aren't the same types in the North, but not as many.

[NNN0LHI]

2. I told you we didn't need no stinking draft n/t

[Lone_Star_Dem]

3. The south has the most to lose in this war and they recognize it

If a person were to take the time and read the entire PDF, they'd notice that much of the North vs South tripe is no more than a ploy to keep us fighting among ourselves. The foolish notion that there's an actual dividing line is obsolete.

[Wickerman]

4. Owned

have they finally figured it out? Nah, just this one time, and only for the moment.