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Politics : TRIAL OF SADDAM HUSSEIN -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: goldworldnet who wrote (175)	12/19/2003 2:53:08 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 493

AP Poll: Saddam Capture Gives Bush Boost Friday, December 19, 2003 WASHINGTON — Americans think the war in Iraq was the right decision by a 2-1 margin and are more inclined to approve of the job done by President Bush in foreign policy and terrorism following the capture of Saddam Hussein, an Associated Press poll found. They remain wary, however, of the continuing deadly conflict in Iraq. Saddam's capture appears to have given Bush's re-election prospects a boost: The poll conducted for the AP by Ipsos-Public Affairs (search) found that nearly half of respondents, 45 percent, said they would definitely support Bush's re-election, while 31 percent said they would definitely vote against him. A month ago, people were evenly divided on that question, at 37 percent definitely for and 37 percent definitely against. Two-thirds in the poll said they were confident the United States would capture or kill Usama bin Laden, who is believed to have orchestrated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. That's up from about half who felt that way in a poll in September. "I'm confident we'll capture Usama bin Laden," said Jill Chiccino, a surgical technician from Wilmington, Del. "I still don't feel that will solve terrorism, but it may help." More than six in 10 registered voters, 63 percent, said they approved of Bush's handling of foreign policy and terrorism, up from 54 percent who felt that way in early December in an AP-Ipsos poll. Bush's overall job approval among voters was 59 percent, up from 53 percent in early December but still far below his mid-70s war ratings from earlier this year. Asked whether they thought Saddam's capture last weekend would cause violence against U.S. troops to increase, decrease or stay about the same, the biggest group, 47 percent, said they expected no change. A third, 33 percent, said violence would decrease and 19 percent said it would increase. People were evenly divided on whether Saddam would get a fairer trial from an international tribunal or from Iraqi courts. "Iraqi courts will be controlled and run by the United States," said attorney Adam Allen of Tampa, Fla. Six in 10 thought the government was likely to be embarrassed by some of the information disclosed by Saddam in a trial. That was higher than the percentage of people who felt Saddam's disclosures would embarrass the governments of France, Russia, Britain or Germany. Six in 10 said the capture made it more likely the United States would get help from longtime allies who opposed the Iraq war, but only 12 percent said they felt that was "very likely." Overall support for Iraq policy was strong in the poll. Seven in 10 said they believed the Iraq war was an important part of the campaign against terrorism rather than a distraction, as some critics have charged. And by more than a 2-1 margin, people said the war was the right decision and not a mistake. Respondents were divided on whether the war in Iraq has made terrorist attacks in this country more likely, 40 percent, or less likely, 49 percent. Almost two-thirds said they expected a terrorist attack on a major U.S. city, building or national landmark in the next year. But only 15 percent said they thought such an attack was very likely. In a different poll in May, almost half said a terrorist attack was very likely in the near future. "I'm not expecting anything as bad as 9-11," said Indiana college student Deanna Moon. But she expected the United States would be attacked by people loyal to Saddam and bin Laden: "There's going to be something here and there because their followers are so nutty." The AP-Ipsos poll of 1,001 adults was taken Monday through Wednesday and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, slightly larger for subgroups such as registered voters. URL:http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,106218,00.html

To: goldworldnet who wrote (175)	12/19/2003 2:55:24 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 493

Bush job rating scores highest in six months By Bill Sammon THE WASHINGTON TIMES President Bush's job-approval rating yesterday jumped to the highest level in six months as he made his fourth visit of the year to hospitalized troops, a group that Democrats accuse him of neglecting. While at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, the president had his jogging-battered knees examined by doctors, who opted against surgery. He also visited Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, who was being treated for prostate cancer. "I know I'm not supposed to get out of my lane and give medical reports, but I can report that Colin Powell received great health care here and he is doing very well," Mr. Bush said. The president praised the hospital's director of physical therapy, Col. B.J. Mielcarek, whose staff is healing soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We've just come from her department, where we saw some incredible work being done and some brave soldiers who are working hard to get to a hundred percent," Mr. Bush said. "She's been kind of looking after my body on occasion, too. Fortunately, she's got a lot to work with." It was a reference to his 57-year-old knees, which underwent magnetic resonance imaging yesterday. Recent injuries have forced Mr. Bush to abandon his beloved regimen of jogging and take up less stressful workout activities, such as running in water and elliptical cross-training. Mr. Bush spent most of his time visiting with soldiers, including some recovering from debilitating war wounds. "I remember coming here a couple of months ago to pin the Purple Heart on a fellow who lost both legs and one arm," he said. "Today, I saw him walking." He added: "Americans would be surprised to learn that a grievous injury, such as the loss of a limb, no longer means forced discharge. In other words, the medical care is so good and the recovery process is so technologically advanced that people are no longer forced out of the military." In recent months, Democrats and the press have groused that Mr. Bush does not attend the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq. Historically, it is unusual for presidents to attend individual funerals of fallen troops, although they routinely visit the injured. "Members of the Armed Forces are now serving in a great cause, serving in a historic time," he said. "The peace and security of our fellow citizens depend upon their bravery and their willingness to serve. "In so doing, our soldiers accept the dangers and the hardships that this cause sometimes requires," he added. "I'm proud to be their commander in chief. I'm proud to lead such fine men and women who are willing to sacrifice for their country." When the president mentioned that several soldiers had expressed impatience at getting back to their units, military members in the audience nodded. "We put a lot of fine troops into harm's way to make this country more secure and the world more free and the world more peaceful," he said. "We will provide excellent health care — excellent care — to anybody who is injured on the battlefield." As Mr. Bush was visiting the troops, Gallup was releasing a poll that shows his job-approval rating at 63 percent — the highest since mid-June. The number jumped seven points since the weekend, evidently reflecting public satisfaction with the capture of Saddam Hussein. Shortly after the visit by the president, Mr. Powell was discharged and went home. The 66-year-old had his cancerous prostate gland removed on Monday.