WASHINGTON, 19 April 2003 — A new poll shows Americans are becoming concerned about becoming embroiled in a potentially difficult peacekeeping mission in Iraq.
An ABC News/Washington Post poll released Thursday reported 73 percent of those polled are concerned the US will get “bogged down in a long and costly” mission to maintain peace in Iraq.
That number was up from 62 percent after the fall of Baghdad, just over a week ago.
Nearly two-thirds or 65 percent said the US was doing enough to restore civil order.
Nearly 9 in 10 Americans favored using diplomatic or economic pressure to resolve issues with Syria and North Korea. Still, just over a third said they would support going to war to remove either country’s government.
Nearly 80 percent saw North Korea as a threat; Syria, 65 percent.
President Bush’s job approval rating was high, at 74 percent.
A growing number of people — 58 percent — thought the war in Iraq would reduce the risk of terrorism at home in the long run. That number was up 10 percent from just days before fighting began.
The poll was conducted by telephone Wednesday among a random national sample of 504 adults. The error margin was plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.
