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Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Sun Jun 26, 2005 at 08:11:35 AM EST
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Bush may be fighting a losing battle. According to the latest poll numbers:

Some 53 percent of people surveyed say the United States made a mistake going to war in Iraq in March 2003, according to an AP-Ipsos poll released Friday. That is the highest number in AP-Ipsos polling who have said the war was a mistake.

In December 2003, almost two-thirds of those questioned said the United States made the right decision in waging war.

How many more vets are we going to see come home without limbs?

Some drink to escape the pain. Others do drugs. And a number sink into a deep depression that ends in suicide. Life for triple amputees can be rough.....On the lawn outside the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., a mother spoke on her cell phone in between puffs on a cigarette.

"I feel like I'm on a roller coaster," Doris Smith of St. Augustine, Fla., said on the phone to her family. "At night, when I get home, I can't sleep." After hanging up, Smith explained: Her 21-year-old Army son, Chad Smith, was injured by an improvised explosive device while he was in Iraq.

"There is a lot of tragedy up on that floor," she said, gesturing toward the hospital. "So many families have been disrupted because of it, and the public is unaware of it. ... They look at the casualties, but the wounded has been astronomical."

Let's hope that in another three months, the numbers will be as high for those who say bring the troops home now.

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    • Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake | 22 comments (22 topical)
    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#1)
    by DawesFred60 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:34 PM EST
    One more good reason to get out now. but bush and family would be so unhappy because think of all the business deals that would fall apart. if the people won't fight for the right to be free, what can this nation do, "oh i forgot", we really are not a free people only a used people with rats ranning the show. ask where is bin laden? and is your home going to be sold out from under you? its the law now you know a big guy can't just do some back room deal now with local government and "good by home." is that freedom or what? remember a free people don't have to ask the question, "Am I Free".

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#2)
    by ras on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:34 PM EST
    And soon, Rumsfeld will implement a draft. He's says not, and Bush says not, and Powell says not, and every single military commander interviewed says not, and the Armed Forces themselves say not, but hey ... the Left says so. Who you gonna believe?

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:34 PM EST
    ras, "who you gonna believe?"

    Not the people who told us Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Not the people who lied about Iraq purchasing yellow cake, and was about to go "nukular". Not the people who claimed Iraq was somehow tied into the 9/11 attacks. Not the people who claim to support our troops but can't purchase enough body armor, or armored vehicles, to keep them safe. Not the people who say this war wasn't about oil, after securing nothing in Iraq except the oil ministry and pipelines. No, I sure don't believe these people, and neither should anyone else. History proves that much!

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#4)
    by roger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:34 PM EST
    Of course! If Bush says so, it must be true!

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#5)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:34 PM EST
    About ten years ago, Colin Powell came up with the Powell Doctrine, which listed the conditions necessary for military intervention. Here is an update on how our war in Iraq stacks up against those conditions. As a last resort. One of the things that the Downing Street memo has revealed is that war with Iraq wasn’t the last resort but the first and only resort. Only if there is a well-defined national interest at stake. Saddam did not have WMDs. He did not have ties to Al Queda. Bush sent our servicemen to fight a war for light and transient reasons. Of all the things that George Bush has done, this to me is the most despical. It should be executed with overwhelming force. The problem wasn’t that we didn’t have enough force to defeat Saddam. The problem was in the postwar occupation. The Bush administration ignored the warning of military leaders, like General Shenseki, that there wasn’t enough troops to maintain order. Strong public support. The majority of Americans now think this war was a mistake and this trend will probably only increase. Though this poll shows that a majority of Americans oppose an immediate pullout, I believe that the majority of Americans oppose remaining in Iraq for 5 to 10 years at the current rate of casualties. A clear exit strategy. According to the Pentagon, the only thing that all the casualties has produced is a stalemate. For all the reasons stated above, this war is unwinnable.

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#6)
    by DawesFred60 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:34 PM EST
    We really need to march on washington and hang Bush. No let him stay others will hang him high in the coming years. say nothing the government is watching.

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#7)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:34 PM EST
    How many of us will die in the next domestic attack so that Monkey Boy can boost the support of his bloodlust?

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:34 PM EST
    This poll doesn't matter. No matter how many Americans think the war was a mistake, or that Dubya is incompetent, as long as the Repubs are jimmying elections, they don't need a majority. They just need enough to make their "wins" plausible.

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:34 PM EST
    What Molly said. I think we now have fixed elections and we need to fix, as in repair,the election system. Paper trails, recounts. All that stuff you can't get with a Diebold election machine. Connect the dots folks.

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:34 PM EST
    The poll suggests that 40 something% must still think these wars are a good idea. These folks need to vote with their children and their own lives. Get out there to see the progress of democracy up close. America, love it and leave it.

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#11)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:35 PM EST
    Cheetah – As usual you rattle off a bunch of complaints and charges, but you offer no proof. Let’s look at some facts. First, we have the yellowcake. While the Brits still believe that Saddam was trying to buy yellowcake, we do know Nearly 4,000 pounds was found inside Iraq. Now, what do you think he wanted to do with this? Now we can read the Kay Report, which details how Saddam was trying to get back into the WDM business. Don’t like Kay? Here is what Scott Ritter, a strong opponent of the war, told Time.
    (Time)Iraq’s borders are porous. Why couldn't Saddam have obtained the capacity to produce WMD since 1998 when the weapons inspectors left? (Ritter) I am more aware than any UN official that Iraq has set up covert procurement funds to violate sanctions. This was true in 1997-1998, and I'm sure its true today. Of course Iraq can do this.
    Now, let’s go back to Kay. Go to the last part, and read how Saddam had a missile that exceeded the UN ceasefire agreement. Now why would he want these? Oh, I know. He wanted to threaten Israel and make them ship him Doritos! Want more? Well, try this:
    The 75th Exploitation Task Force, which was in charge of directing the search operation for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, did not find any evidence of the explosives. The Pentagon investigation is continuing, and there is some thought that trucks operated by Saddam's regime may have been in the vicinity of the facility in late March.
    So what happened to the HMX that was stored there? No one knows for sure, but HMX is used in nuclear weapons trigger assemblies. I wonder why Saddam had this? Want more? Well, try this CIA report on what happened to the special tools, explosives, etc., need to make WMD’s. I call your attention to page four, left column, bottom paragraph. Want something besides the CIA?
    NY Times: “Some of the looted machinery included high-precision equipment capable of making parts for nuclear arms.”
    How about this? Saddam offered $2,000,000 dollar bribe to UN Inspector. Hmmmm. Now, I have no WMD’s, so I’ll bribe this guy to say I have no WMD’s. Yep. Works for me. Duhhhhh. Cheetah, are you starting to get the picture? A little bit of light creeping into your brian? No? Here, read this summary. Maybe it will help. So let’s look at the Saddam and OBL connection. Never happened, right? Bush lied, right? Well, now you do remember that the 911 Report said there had been contacts. Well. Let’s don’t trust Bush, or the commission. let’s see what Clinton’s Justice Department said:
    The other pronouncement is contained in a Justice Department indictment on Nov. 4, 1998, charging bin Laden with murder in the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa. The indictment disclosed a close relationship between al Qaeda and Saddam's regime, which included specialists on chemical weapons and all types of bombs, including truck bombs, a favorite weapon of terrorists. The 1998 indictment said: "Al Qaeda also forged alliances with the National Islamic Front in the Sudan and with the government of Iran and its associated terrorist group Hezbollah for the purpose of working together against their perceived common enemies in the West, particularly the United States. In addition, al Qaeda reached an understanding with the government of Iraq that al Qaeda would not work against that government and that on particular projects, specifically including weapons development, al Qaeda would work cooperatively with the government of Iraq."
    Link Cheetah, I could go on, but I think you see, you just won’t believe. Try thinking of it this way. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it’s a duck!

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:35 PM EST
    PPJ,

    Look who's rattling now. Wasting your time, and space on this thread again, oh Super one? We've all read all of that before. So speak for yourself without all the props. Maybe then people won't fall asleep on you.

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:35 PM EST
    First, we have the yellowcake. While the Brits still believe that Saddam was trying to buy yellowcake, we do know Nearly 4,000 pounds was found inside Iraq. Now, what do you think he wanted to do with this?
    Oh dear lord, a link to Newsmax?? Excuse me while I repeatedly fall out of my chair laughing. You rightwingers are too much, why don't you just give us a link to the damn Enquirer while your at it, pathetic. You couldn't link to a non biased source to save your life....hahahahaha

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:35 PM EST
    PPJ,

    I checked out your propaganda at newsmax,but what caught my attention more than your bogus story was the link on the left of the page to betoniraq.com. Is that what you call supporting the troops? I call it war profiteering! They also had a link for a program to teach you Israeli's hand to hand combat system overnight. Well, considering that their particular form of martial arts is a mix of Shaolin chin na and Japanese ju jitsu, I don't see how anyone could even perform the most basic moves overnight. But this just goes to show the credibility of your "news" source. Do you practice your Bruce Lee-like moves in front of the mirror?

    PPJ:"my kung fu is strong!"

    Repeat that enough and it might be true, just like with your "news".

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#15)
    by jarober on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:35 PM EST
    Absent a draft, there will be no mass movement against the war. By the way, have our troops left Bosnia yet?

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:35 PM EST
    Absent a draft, there will be no mass movement against the war.
    What? You don't believe that America is the nation of Conservative / NeoConservative zealots hellbent on supporting Neoconservative goals? Seems to me that anyone who believes wholeheartedly in Neoconservatism wouldn't be against a draft, since they're "protecting America" and "defending freedom" and are obviously "Patriots" who "Support out Troops". Hypocrites. I agree with Molly from NY - polls mean nothing - never have, especially mean nothing in today's Corporate media world. Polling people's opinions inside a world of manufactured realities could only be useful in the creation of more propaganda, not in gauging their individual values. Get the polls ready for Iran - that's the next stop on the War Corporatist tour de force....and the majority of the votership minority of America voted for it, they just didn't know it because our media is an amplified mouthpiece for the powerful.

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#17)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:35 PM EST
    Fenria and Fat albert - I love when I catch you guys not reading the links. It shows your lack of focus and willingness to learn. Check out this, from the link:
    according to a physicist with the Federation of American Scientists quoted by the Associated Press.
    So the story came from AP. Guess you can't believe them, eh? I am LOL at YOU, Fenria. (Try reading next time before attacking.) Fat albert...As for your snarky comments about kung fu... what is your point? I just nuke people.. BTW - I note you don't comment on the information from Time, Kay (US Gov), News-Telegraph, CIA, the New York Times and the 9/11 Commission Report. Cat got your tongue? Do you realize how dumb that makes you look? cheetah - Links are used to provide back up, proof of your comments. Do you ever use them? It appears that you exist only to comment and rant about what the big boys down at Starbucks tell you. Be careful. They are telling you some big time lies.

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:35 PM EST
    PPJ, Frankly, I don't set foot in Starbucks. I'm involved in a boycott. As for the rest of your comment

    HO HUM-M-M-M!

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#19)
    by aw on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:36 PM EST
    Some drink to escape the pain. Others do drugs.
    If they get caught with drugs we can then send them to jail. Yippee.

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#20)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:36 PM EST
    Cheetah, okay. Now we know you can't refute an argument. Hey, works for me.

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:36 PM EST
    PPJ,

    "you exist only to comment". After each story posted on this site, there is a little blue-highlighted word spelled c-o-m-m-e-n-t. Does that word have too many letters for you?

    Re: Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake (none / 0) (#23)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:37 PM EST
    cheetah - Does that mean you have no facts, just "feelings?" Figures.

    Poll: 53% Think War a Mistake | 22 comments (22 topical)