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Politics : America Under Siege: The End of Innocence -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: hdl who wrote (20073)	11/25/2002 8:50:25 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 27666

Poll: Attitudes on Iraq invasion complex URL:http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2002-11-25-poll-usat_x.htm By Richard Benedetto, USA TODAY WASHINGTON — Most Americans support going to war against Iraq if it is found to have weapons of mass destruction, but first want to give the United Nations every chance to disarm it peacefully before taking military action, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows. The nationwide poll taken over the weekend depicts a resolute public that overwhelmingly believes Iraq already has chemical, biological or nuclear weapons and would use them against the United States. It also shows that solid majorities believe a U.S. attack on Iraq is justified if Iraqi President Saddam Hussein tries to block the work of U.N. arms inspectors, who were set to begin their mission on Wednesday. At the same time, the survey indicates complex attitudes on what would justify a military invasion. Two out of three of those polled say the U.S. should first go back to the U.N. for authorization to launch an attack if Iraq refuses to comply with conditions set down for the U.N. inspections. A similar size group — 63% — favors letting Saddam off the hook if weapons are found and he agrees to destroy them. And if U.N. inspectors find no evidence of weapons of mass destruction or facilities where they can be produced, then 52% would oppose sending U.S. troops in. "If there is any step short of war that can be taken to disarm Iraq, most Americans will take it," said Karlyn Bowman, American Enterprise Institute polling analyst. But beneath the natural reluctance to go to war, the poll also shows that most Americans are ready to commit U.S. troops if Saddam remains defiant toward the international community: 87% say an attack is justified if weapons of mass destruction are found and he refuses to get rid of them. 84% say an attack is justified if Iraq repeatedly blocks inspectors from suspected weapons sites. 64% say an attack is justified if inspectors are blocked from even one suspected site. 52% say an attack is justified if production facilities — but no weapons — are uncovered. As the U.N. effort begins in earnest, however, most Americans appear to view war as inevitable. Overall, 58% believe President Bush already has decided to invade Iraq, but is only going through the world body to gain international support. And 58% favor using U.S. ground troops to remove Saddam from power, a percentage that has held fairly steady since mid-October. Through it all, public support for Bush remains high. Overall, 65% approve of the job he is doing, down slightly from 68% two weeks ago. "The public doesn't want to go to war, but if forced into it, they will support the president," said Merle Black, an Emory University political scientist.