i am not sure how accurate polls are in gauging overall opinions but i offer this article as a ray of hope to anyone who is not convinced that war is the answer...
i offer this especially to those jmdlers who live in europe & the middle east who are understandibly uneasy (understatement) about the bluster of our country's administration...since you are geographically closer to the targeted area...it is my hope that this will provide some small measure of comfort in knowing that there is still much resistance in the usa to a war in iraq...for what it is worth... i hope even those who feel this war is justified will understand my motivations in posting this article... POLL: BUSH HASN'T MADE CASE FOR IRAQ WAR USA Today / December 17, 2002 http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002-12-17-iraq-poll_x.htm LOS ANGELES (APOnline) -- More than two-thirds of Americans believe the Bush administration has failed to make its case that a war against Iraq is justified, according to a poll by the Los Angeles Times published Tuesday. Ninety percent of respondents said they don't doubt Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction. But without new evidence from U.N. inspectors, 72% of respondents, including 60% of Republicans, said the president has not provided enough evidence to justify starting a war. The Times poll, which interviewed 1,305 adults nationwide, was conducted from Thursday to Sunday, in the week after Iraq handed over its massive report on its arsenal to the United Nations. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points. Support for a possible war appears to be weakening, with 58% saying they support a ground attack on Iraq, according to the poll. In an August Times poll, 64% said they would support a ground attack. In January, the Times and other polls found support for military action more than 70%. Yet almost three-quarters of Americans support the way Bush is handling the threat of terrorism, and nearly three in five like how he's handling the country's affairs. Sixty-three percent of those polled said war would be justified only if the United Nations finds a pattern of serious violations by Iraq. Only 22% agreed with the administration's position that any error or omission in Iraq's arms declaration is adequate to justify war; 6% said it would depend on the nature of the omissions; and 9% said they were not sure or declined to reply. If U.N. inspections fail to find evidence of Iraqi weapons programs, almost half said they would oppose war. Only 41% would favor war, and 10% said they were undecided. Only 26% said they were willing to support war if the United States acted alone. Respondents also believe war would have serious ramifications at home and abroad. Sixty-seven percent said war would likely increase the threat of terrorist attacks in the United States; 51% said they feel it would destabilize the Middle East; and 45% said it will adversely impact the U.S. economy. ******************************************** Kate Bennett: www.katebennett.com Sponsored by Polysonics/Atlantis Sound Labs Over the Moon- "bringing the melancholy world of twilight to life almost like magic" All Music Guide ********************************************
