http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28252-2001Sep13.html Americans Approve of Bush's Handling of Crisis By Richard Morin and Claudia Deane Washington Post Staff Writers Thursday, September 13, 2001; 11:18 PM Americans have rallied behind President Bush, strongly endorsing the way his administration has responded to Tuesday's terrorist attacks and sending his job approval rating soaring, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Nearly nine in 10 Americans – 86 percent – said they approved of the job that Bush was doing as president, up 31 points from a Post-ABC News poll conducted last weekend. An even larger proportion – 91 percent – specifically said the president was doing a good job directing the nation's response to the murderous assaults on the Pentagon and World Trade Center. The survey also found that a strong majority currently is prepared to accept a long war with many U.S. military casualties. And nearly everyone said they would accept the longer waits and additional inconvenience that are expected at the nation's airports as a result of the strict new anti-hijacking measures imposed by the federal government. At the same time, a growing proportion of Americans think the government could have done more to prevent Tuesday's attacks. And more than four in 10 acknowledge the incidents will probably make them "more suspicious of people you think are of Arab descent" – a finding that underscores the president's plea to the nation yesterday to avoid mistreating Arab-Americans. A total of 609 randomly selected adults were interviewed Thursday night for this survey. Margin of sampling error for the overall results is plus or minus four percentage points. The practical difficulties of conducting a survey in a single night represent an additional potential source of error. In less than a week, Bush's job approval rating has jumped from 55 percent to 86 percent, nearly equaling his father's job rating at the end of the 1991 Persian Gulf War – a short-lived spike that quickly fell as an economic recession settled in. Even some of the president's detractors say they've been impressed with the way Bush has handled himself in the current crisis. "I'm very surprised, I think he's doing very well," said Dawn Caudill, 30, of Lennon, Mich. "I think he's trying to find who was responsible before acting, and not just going right in to blow up entire towns." War fever continues to build, the Post-ABC News survey found. Nearly nine in 10 supported taking military action against groups or nations responsible for the tragedies – even if it led to war. "We have no choice, we're at war," said Rodney Forsberg, 43, of Dacula, Ga. "Any thinking American dreads war, but here again we don't have a choice – we're in for a big one." Three in four said they would support going to war even if it meant "innocent civilians in other countries might be hurt or killed." Seven in 10 said they would support the United States taking aggressive military action even if the result was "a long war with large numbers of U.S. troops killed or injured." Even the prospect of a long and bloody war with civilian casualties did not dissuade Mable Kerr, 63, of Fayetteville, Arkansas. "In any war people are going to get killed, American soldiers and civilians alike," Kerr said. "That's what war is all about." An overwhelming majority – 85 percent – of Americans also support military strikes against Afghanistan if its leaders refuse to turn over Osama bin Laden, the fugitive terrorist who is suspected of playing a key role in Tuesday's attacks. The poll also points to a possible backlash against Arab-Americans. Overall, a majority of respondents – 56 percent – said their view of Arabs would not change, while 44 percent said the attacks might heighten their suspicions of people who they think are of Arab descent. Nicole McDowell, 31, of Thornton, Colorado, was quick to put her apprehensions in context. "I don't want to be too suspicious, because I don't want to be prejudiced, and I'm not prejudiced," McDowell said. "Just in general, out in public, I probably won't be suspicious. But I think yes, in airports, I probably might be a little more suspicious." At least for now, Americans say they are willing to make personal sacrifices to curb terrorism. Seven in 10 said they would support new laws that would make it easier for the FBI and other authorities to investigate suspected terrorists, even if it meant "giving up some of Americans' personal liberties and privacy." And 87 percent strongly supported new strict airport security measures "even if they cause long delays in air travel." The number of Americans who think tougher security measures should have been implemented prior to a disaster happening also seems to be on the rise. A majority – 65 percent – now say the United States could have done more to prevent the recent attacks, up from 43 percent in a Post-ABC News survey Tuesday night. "I'm in the Chicago area, flying out of O'Hare and Midway," said William Woltkamp, 70, of Western Springs, Illinois. In the past, "I didn't feel they did such a good job of scanning. So I would go for it. So I have to show up two hours before? So be it." © 2001 The Washington Post Company
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