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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: stockman_scott who wrote (31802)	11/21/2003 11:15:44 AM
From: Skywatcher	Respond to of 89467

U.S. Future in Iraq a Growing Concern By Doyle McManus, Times Staff Writer WASHINGTON — Americans of every stripe are worried that the U.S. occupation of Iraq could turn into a quagmire, and most are unconvinced that President Bush has a clear plan to handle the problem, the Los Angeles Times Poll has found. But voters' concerns about the war do not necessarily translate into support for Bush's Democratic rivals in the 2004 presidential campaign, the poll found. Despite their misgivings, a narrow majority of respondents said they still trusted Bush to make the right decisions on Iraq, and a solid majority gave him high marks for his conduct of the war on terrorism. Overall, most appear deeply unhappy about Iraq and uncertain that Bush's strategy is succeeding — but they also are willing to give him more time to try. "My biggest fear is: Is this thing going to end up being like Vietnam?" said Alan Geleske, 50, of Michigan City, Ind., one of 1,345 adults questioned in the nationwide poll. "It doesn't seem like there are any clear-cut objectives ... and the casualty list is growing. It's a concern. I have a son and a son-in-law in the Army." On the other hand, Geleske said, "I haven't seen any Democratic candidate I can get behind ... and I do admire what Bush did when 9/11 occurred." He said he hadn't decided how he would vote next year; "it's too early." The distress over casualties has driven many who supported the invasion of Iraq in the spring to question whether it was worth the cost. Only about a third of the public now believes it was worth the loss of so many military lives, the poll found. Still, a large majority said they supported keeping U.S. troops in Iraq at least until order is restored; only about a fifth said they favored an unconditional withdrawal. "Nobody likes to see all those servicemen being killed," said Stephanie Weber, 88, a retired railroad employee in Ingleside, Ill. "I don't think [Bush] has a clear plan.... But under the circumstances, he's doing the best he can." Weber, who said she voted for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader in 2000, now plans to vote for Bush in 2004 — "because he's been so dogged about getting after the terrorists." The president said Thursday he was determined to keep U.S. troops in Iraq — and to increase their number, if necessary — until his goals are met. "We could have less troops in Iraq, we could have the same number of troops in Iraq, we could have more troops in Iraq, what is ever necessary to secure Iraq," Bush told reporters in London. In April, as U.S. forces swept into Iraq, the Times Poll found 77% of the public said they supported the decision to go to war. But this week, when asked whether it had been worth going to war, only 48% said yes; 43% said no. Underlying that relatively even split is a marked partisan divide: Only 30% of Democrats now say the war was worthwhile, compared with 76% of Republicans. The fear of a long military entanglement cuts across political boundaries, but with a partisan gap as well. Asked how they felt about the possibility that the United States could become "bogged down" in Iraq, 86% of all respondents said they were concerned, and most said they were "very concerned." But Democrats expressed more concern than Republicans. CC