With Transfer of Sovereignty Looming, Attitudes About Iraq Remain Negative

[West Coast Democrat]

Gallup News Service

PRINCETON, NJ -- It appears that the upcoming transfer of sovereignty in Iraq from the Coalition Provisional Authority to an Iraqi-led government will happen at a time when Americans are more negative than positive in their assessments of the United States' involvement in Iraq.

According to the latest Gallup Poll, conducted June 3-6, a majority of Americans (57%) disapprove of the way President Bush is handling the situation there. A majority also says it was not worth going to war in Iraq (52%) and believes that things are going badly for the United States there (60%). Half of Americans would now like to see some or all U.S. troops withdrawn from Iraq. Despite all of this, Americans are still reluctant to describe the U.S. military involvement in Iraq as a "mistake." Today, 41% say it was a mistake, while 58% say it was not.

These figures are generally similar to what Gallup found in polling last month, amidst the political furor over the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. The only statistically significant change seen in the current poll is that Americans have become slightly less negative about the way things are going in Iraq for the United States. The percentage saying that things are going "very badly" has declined from 31% in late May to 25% today. But the overall number saying the situation is going very or moderately badly has not changed since April, still hovering around 60%.

http://www.gallup.com/content/?ci=11977