Sixty percent of Americans now oppose the Iraq war
9 August 2006 by Sean
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Sixty percent of Americans oppose the U.S. war in
Iraq and a majority would support a partial withdrawal of troops by year’s end, a CNN poll said on Wednesday.It was the CNN poll’s highest number opposing the war since fighting began in March 2003, a figure that has risen steadily since then, according to the Opinion Research Corp. survey conducted last week on behalf of the cable network.
The poll showed 36 percent of respondents said they were in favor of the war — half the peak 72 percent who supported the war as it began, said the poll of 1,047 Americans.
The telephone survey, which had an error margin of 3 percentage points, showed 61 percent believed at least some U.S. troops should be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of 2006.
Voter anger over the Iraq war, plagued by insurgent and sectarian violence with a daily civilian death toll, was cited in the Connecticut Democratic primary defeat Tuesday of U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, who strongly backed
President George W. Bush’s war effort.
Bye-bye, Joe. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
And another little tidbit for geeks.
9 August 2006, on 11:31 am
Sean, over at Kos, they were discussing the Lieberman site problems yesterday. According to someone there, it couldn’t have been a DOS attack because Ned’s site was on the same server and didn’t go down. Apparently, Joementum was shelling out $1500 a month to some webhosting service who were, in turn, paying 15 bucks a month for hosting. I don’t even know what most of this means except that it sounds like Joe went for cheap and it cost him. And, though he’s still harping about it, there’s absolutely no evidence that hackery was involved- in fact, Ned’s site picked up Joe’s so it would be on line.
9 August 2006, on 11:33 am
Cleaning house. Republicans ought to give it a try.
9 August 2006, on 11:34 am
I can’t believe Lieberman appears to be actually going through with filing as an independent. He has even created his own party, Connecticut for Lieberman. I just hope this doesn’t split the party and allow the Republican opponent to win.
The good thing, though, is that it appears the Democratic left is finally beginning to show their cojones. Hopefully, Lieberman’s next kiss will be kissing George W. Bush and his senate position good-bye.
9 August 2006, on 11:55 am
The good thing, though, is that it appears the Democratic left is finally beginning to show their cojones. Hopefully, Lieberman’s next kiss will be kissing George W. Bush and his senate position good-bye.
Year of the Left Cojones? Government lies, scandals, avoidance and wire-tappings and much more, Extremely unpopular war. Support for the “Israel No-Matter-What” agenda crumbling. Zippee-dee-do-da-day. Mebbe. Mebbe, the year of the Left Cojones. I know my left ball has felt neglected lately.
Sorry. I overshare.
9 August 2006, on 2:50 pm
This post fits in almost uncannily with what I heard on the radio today on my way to work. Al Franken was interviewing Rory Stewart on his experience as deputy interim governor of two provinces in Iraq. Funny and articulate, Stewart made no bones about what we should be doing in that country: withdrawing our forces as quickly as possible and letting Iraqis sort Iraqi problems out on their own.
9 August 2006, on 4:33 pm
Wha…??? But… I thought the Prez said the war was OVER, 3 years ago!
Heh.
9 August 2006, on 5:01 pm
We can’t leave Iraq. We have to help Israel conquer the rest of the Middle East first.
9 August 2006, on 7:36 pm
Somebody- it’ll probably take the Big Bill Clinton himself, will eventually talk Joementum down from his Sore Loser ledge. Schlesinger, the putative GOP challenger is a small town lawyer with a gambling problem and not a snowball’s chance in the Sahara of effecting the outcome. If Joe insists on running, he should do so as a Repiglickin’. All his remaining support is coming from the likes of Tony Snow, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, et al and, if you don’t know you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel at that point, man, your grasp on reality is tenuous at best. So you’re not carrying the standard anymore, Joe, take one for the team, work to turn over both houses of Congress in November. Who knows, maybe President Gore will appoint you Ambassador to whatever is left of Israel in January of ‘09.
9 August 2006, on 11:44 pm
“We have to resort to a constitutional amendment to make the voice of the people heard.”
Hey Bushie – remember saying words like that? The anti-war movement doesn’t want an amendment, though – we’d settle for withdrawal and impeachment.
10 August 2006, on 12:33 am
From Kos;
“. . Vice President Dick Cheney . . . went so far as to suggest that the ouster of Mr. Lieberman might encourage “al Qaeda types.”
“It’s an unfortunate development, I think, from the standpoint of the Democratic Party, to see a man like Lieberman pushed aside because of his willingness to support an aggressive posture in terms of our national security strategy,” Mr. Cheney said in a telephone interview with news service reporters. . . .
Mr. Cheney offered warm praise for Mr. Lieberman, who was his opponent for vice president in 2000, though he said he did not want his remarks to be construed as an endorsement of Mr. Lieberman.
He cast Mr. Lieberman’s loss in ominous terms, suggesting that it would hearten American terrorist enemies. Terrorists, he said, are “betting on the proposition that ultimately they can break the will of the American people in terms of our ability to stay in the fight and complete the task.”
Man, when Deadeye Dick is whispering sweet nothings in your ear, you’re flatlined.
10 August 2006, on 2:54 am
Nice to see that at least SOME of the gung-ho fuckers have taken their heads out of their asses, wiped the shit from their eyes, and finally seen the light.
Partial withdrawal is useless. Complete withdrawal is the only answer — even if it will be messy, and somebody is going to have to end up sleeping in the wet spot.
10 August 2006, on 4:35 am
Nice to see that at least SOME of the gung-ho fuckers have taken their heads out of their asses, wiped the shit from their eyes, and finally seen the light.
Partial withdrawal is useless. Complete withdrawal is the only answer — even if it will be messy, and somebody is going to have to end up sleeping in the wet spot.
Brilliantly put, Audrey. There will never be peace as long as there is an occupation.
10 August 2006, on 1:55 pm
“Partial withdrawal is useless. Complete withdrawal is the only answer — even if it will be messy, and somebody is going to have to end up sleeping in the wet spot.”
I remember one stupid bastard in H.S. who said “If you pull out before you come she won’t get pregnant.” Needless to say, he was wrong and had a kid before he even graduated. I mention this because the damage is done, the Iraqis and the rest of the world got fucked, Dick and Alfred E. Newman Bush and their buddies are smiling while zipping up their flies, and the American taxpayer will be paying for this fiasco for along time to come. So pull out or stay in, there’s still jizz all over the back seat and the bastard child product is still in the womb.
10 August 2006, on 7:02 pm
I don’t see how complete withdrawal is a solution.
10 August 2006, on 7:30 pm
brero Says:
I don’t see how complete withdrawal is a solution.
And you see constant occupation working out how?
10 August 2006, on 7:36 pm
Complete withdrawal to, say, Kurdistan in the North- where we still have a little good will. Close enough to launch sorties out to the hotspots, far enough away not to be a constant reminder of occupation. The Shi’a and Sunni leaders have enough clout within their own people to call for and enforce a peace. That they choose not to do so should not effect the lives of our men and women in uniform. We step back and let the warring factions decide their own futures. We’re not a police force. Saddam’s gone, get your shit together, the gov.’t you choose may not be to our liking but that’s our tough shit- and something anyone who knew anything about the history of Iraq could and did predict before we got into the mess we’re in now.
10 August 2006, on 9:32 pm
Raindog, that’s pretty much what Stewart says: the Iraqi leaders are far more capable of governing their country than we give them credit for. They sure as hell know their country and people much better than we do. Without outside intervention, they’ll be forced to deal directly with each other to reach some sort of level – but like you said, it probably won’t be what we want it to be. Our own tough shit, indeed.
10 August 2006, on 10:35 pm
“I don’t see how complete withdrawal is a solution.”
Brero,
How many millions of dollars a year does it cost us to keep a pressence in Korea? Europe? These are places the U.S. is wanted or at least tolerated (for the most part). Now consider what happens when we have a pressence where we aren’t welcome; Viet Nam, Afganistan, Lebanon,Iraq, just to name a few. It costs a helluva lot more than dollars everytime the U.S. stays where the population doesn’t want us .
So we went into Iraq, outed Saddam,find out he is really a looney chicken-shit hiding in a rat hole, made a bad situation worse and we’re supposed to hang around while the crazy Fundie-Muslim factions kill each other (and anyone else they don’t agree with) like they have for 14 centuries? Why? Because another trillion dollars and 20 or 30 or 100 thousand casulties will somehow make the U.S. safe and secure? Because the U.S. needs the respect of the world and invading another country makes the world love us more?
There’s an old adage that says “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”. Are you hoping for a better outcome or do you just think sending soldier’s lives and trillions of dollars down the Iraqi toilet is a solution for our “safety”? If you think that, then I believe you have been Bushitted!
11 August 2006, on 12:24 am
The Bush admins greatest fear is that we elect new leadership in Nov. We withdraw from Iraq before the admin gets what they have been paying for. OIL. It slips right through their fingers and is left to the Iraqi’s to control. Their biggest fear.
G.O.D. Guns Oil Drugs. brought to you by the bush admin
11 August 2006, on 9:31 am
Nice acronymn Jimmer, I haven’t seen that one before. Pretty much says it all.
11 August 2006, on 9:43 am
Jimmer says: We withdraw from Iraq before the admin gets what they have been paying for. OIL.
I can’t help thinking if we had all that money we’ve spent so far on the Iraq Oil War, and put a lot of it into research, development and infrastructure for alternative fuels, we really wouldn’t need their oil. Am I being too idealistic?
11 August 2006, on 10:32 am
MoeNeigh,
Yes, you’re too idealistic. After all, such a thought requires reasonable, responsible forthought, cognitive abilities, and a spine to say no to the most profitable and corrupt companies on earth. We don’t have any of that going in the US so long as we continue to elect right wing jellyfish as our leaders. It’s probably not apparent to the fools on the hill, but just because they believe in “intellegent design” doesn’t mean that they have any intellegence.
11 August 2006, on 10:56 am
Back to Lieberman, I agree with those who said that the Republican in Connecticut has little chance of winning. He’s a lame duck candidate and Lieberman lost in convincing enough fashion where Conn. dems will probably forget about him completely. If anything, Lieberman is more likely to split the GOP vote with his new Bull Moose party. Kind of like Perot in ‘92.
11 August 2006, on 11:28 am
Here’s my concern: the Dems have done shit to convince people they are any alternative this year. Apathy is high right now. I do think, given the insane fundie leanings of the Repuglicans at the moment, that we need to vote Democrat, just to save our fucking democracy.
Picard in First Contact:
We’ve made too many compromises already, too many retreats. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far and no further!
But how many people this season are just gonna opt out cuz they don’t see a real alternative? Or, as black voters in Ohio might say, they show up at the polls and get turned away or it doesn’t get counted?
I think this war is fucked. I don’t think it should have ever been started. I said that from day one. Iraq deserves democracy, but can you actually force this on a population? History says no. I know that sounds pedantic, but it’s true. You need a functioning middle class to have an actual democracy. They almost needed to keep the insane strongman. Take a look at Libya. Fascinating case study in slow move to democracy. al-Gaddafi may still live in a tent like an ignorant desert nomad, but some people have called him one of the most brilliant political minds of the last century.
15 August 2006, on 10:07 pm
Look at this shit… Cheney says that by voting out Lieberman, Connecticut voters are supporting al-Qaeda:
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/10/cheney-ct/
This is fucking Orwellian shit, man.