President Barack Obama addressed the nation today to declare that the United States' combat mission in Iraq officially ends this week, and to praise our military for its great sacrifices there over the last 7 and 1/2 years. But most polls find a majority of Americans remain uncertain about Iraq's future, and remain unconvinced that the United States should have gone in the first place. Below is a list of recent opinion polls regarding Iraq, compiled by the New York Times:
1) In a CNN poll conducted this month, 6 in 10 Americans said they were not confident that the Iraqi government could handle the situation on its own.
2) In a Gallup poll, also in early August, virtually the same number of Americans said they believed Iraqi security forces would not be able to maintain peace and security.
3) In a CBS News poll released last week, 6 in 10 respondents said the United States should have never gone to Iraq, while 7 in 10 said the war was not worth the loss of American lives and the huge financial costs.
4) In an Associated Press-GfK poll, a majority of Americans said they opposed the war.
5) And in a CBS News poll and a recent Gallup poll, only 25 percent of Americans said the war had made us safer from terrorism or that it made the political situation in the Middle East more stable. Most in the CNN poll said the United States had not achieved its goals in Iraq. And more than half, 53 percent, in the early August Gallup poll said the war would be judged a failure in the long run.
About two-thirds of the public in the CNN poll and in the A.P.-GfK poll said they approved of ending combat operations in Iraq. The polls did reveal one positive: Nearly two-thirds in the early August Gallup poll said Iraq was better off now than it was before the war started. And more than half in the late August Gallup poll said the Iraqi people were better off.
