Poll finds increased support for Bush, Iraq war following Hussein's capture
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
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(12-16) 03:13 PST NEW YORK (AP) --
The capture of Saddam Hussein boosted President Bush's job approval rating and gave Americans new confidence in U.S. military efforts in Iraq, according to a poll released Tuesday.
Bush's approval rating was 58 percent on Sunday, the day news of Saddam's capture broke, up from 52 percent the day before, the NBC-Wall Street Journal poll found.
Seventy-six percent of those polled said the U.S. is likely to succeed in Iraq, up from 72 percent before the capture was disclosed. After the capture, 37 percent said toppling Hussein was not worth the human and financial costs, while 46 percent said so last month.
By a margin of 62 percent to 32 percent, the poll's respondents said the war in Iraq had made the U.S. more secure; in September, 52 percent agreed and 43 percent disagreed with that statement.
More than half, 55 percent, said U.S. troops should stay in Iraq as long as five years if necessary, up from 51 percent last month.
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