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Wisconsin: War in Iraq

General View of Iraq War
Assessment of War
Assessment of Victory In Iraq
Cost of War
Trust to Handle War and National Security
Support for War
Troop Withdrawal
Decision to Go to War
United Nations Role
Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq
Relationship to War on Terror
Prisoner Abuse Scandal
Iraq War Impact On Vote Choice

General View of Iraq War

Continuance of War

Poll	Date	Stay in to win	Get out to end	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Fox News¹	October 30-31, 2004	59%	32%	9%	700 LV	± 3.7

1 "Do you think it is more important to stay in Iraq to win the war or get out of Iraq to end the war?"

Assessment of War

Assessment of Success of US War in Iraq

Date	Complete success	Mostly success	Partly a success	Mostly failure	Complete failure	No opinion	Sample	MoE
January 4-12, 2005	2%	21%	42%	22%	10%	2%	503	± 4.0
October 23-27, 2004	2%	30%	34%	21%	12%	1%	545 RV	± 4.0
September 15-21, 2004	2%	29%	39%	19%	9%	2%	508	± 4.0
June 15-23, 2004	1%	25%	44%	21%	6%	3%	504	± 4.0
April 20-28, 2004	2%	29%	46%	14%	7%	2%	511	± 4.0
March 23-31, 2004	5%	34%	39%	14%	7%	1%	500	± 4.0
January 27 – February 3, 2004	4%	33%	41%	14%	5%	3%	500	± 4.0
December 2-9, 2003	2%	35%	38%	15%	7%	3%	510	± 4.0
October 21-28, 2003	4%	32%	45%	14%	1%	4%	511	± 4.0
August 18-27, 2003	3%	35%	43%	13%	3%	3%	511	± 4.0
May 13-21, 2003	9%	52%	29%	6%	1%	3%	503	± 4.0
Poll	Badger Poll

1 "Would you call the US led war in Iraq a complete success, mostly a success, only partly a success, mostly a failure, or a complete failure?"

Assessment of Success of US War in Iraq

Poll	Date	Very well	Moderately well	Moderately badly	Very badly	No opinion	Sample	MoE
WPR / St. Norbert College¹	October 31 – November 11, 2005	4%	36%	32%	26%	2%	400	± 5.0
WPR / St. Norbert College¹	October 4-13, 2004	5%	35%	30%	27%	3%	401 LV	± 5.0
WPR / St. Norbert College¹	April 14-21, 2004	4%	35%	29%	31%	3%	402	± 5.0

1 "In general, how would you say things are going for the US in Iraq: very well, moderately well, moderately badly, or very badly?"

Forecast of Situation in Iraq

Poll	Date	Better	Worse	Same	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Rasmussen¹	March 26, 2008	40%	37%	19%	4%	500 LV	± 4.5

1 "Over the next six months, will the situation in Iraq get better or worse?"

Assessment of Victory In Iraq

Poll	Date	US will win	US will lose	No opinion	Sample	MoE
SurveyUSA	July 13-15, 2007	26%	52%	22%	600	± 4.1

Cost of War

Iraq War Worth the Cost

Poll	Date	Yes	No	No opinion	Sample	MoE
WISC-TV / Research 2000¹	October 2-4, 2006	32%	60%	8%	600 LV	± 4.0

1 "All in all, do you think going to war against Iraq for regime change was worth it, or not?"

Importance of Iraq War Cost

Importance of Iraq war cost¹	March 6-14, 2003
Very important	39%
Somewhat important	38%
Not very important	11%
Not at all important	10%
No opinion	2%
Poll	WPR / St. Norbert College
Sample	401
MoE	± 4.9

1 "Bush administration officials have estimated that a war with Iraq could cost anywhere from $50 billion to $200 billion. How important are cost issues of a possible armed conflict in Iraq to you? Would you say they are very important, somewhat important, not very important, or not at all important for you in this conflict?"

Trust to Handle War and National Security

Trust More Regarding Iraq and National Security

Poll	Date	President Bush	Democrats in Congress	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Rasmussen¹	September 14, 2006	45%	44%	11%	500 LV	± 4.5

1 "Who do you trust more when it comes to the situation in Iraq and national security - President Bush or Democrats in Congress?"

Support for War

Support for War if US Knew Iraq Had No WMD

Poll	Date	Good idea anyway	Bad idea	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Badger Poll¹	January 4-12, 2005	26%	42%	32%	503	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	June 15-23, 2004	32%	43%	25%	504	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	April 20-28, 2004	34%	37%	29%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	March 23-31, 2004	40%	36%	24%	500	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	January 27 – February 3, 2004	39%	39%	22%	500	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	December 2-9, 2003	36%	35%	29%	510	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	October 21-28, 2003	38%	33%	29%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	August 18-27, 2003	35%	37%	28%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	May 13-21, 2003	47%	26%	27%	503	± 4.0

1 "If the US government thought the Iraqis didn't actually have weapons of mass destruction anymore, do you think it was a good idea to go to war with Iraq for other reasons, a bad idea, or don't you have an opinion?"

Support for War As Part of War On Terror

Poll	Date	Favor	Oppose	No opinion	Sample	MoE
WISC-TV / Research 2000¹	October 4-7, 2002	49%	38%	13%	600 LV	± 4.0

1 "As you may know, the Bush administration is seriously considering an attack on Iraq which could involve thousands of American ground troops as part of its war on terrorism. Would you favor or oppose such an attack?"

Troop Withdrawal

Bush vs. Congress Plan for Withdrawal

Poll	Date	Congress' plan	President's plan	Other	No opinion	Sample	MoE
WPR / St. Norbert College¹	April 3-17, 2007	63%	29%	3%	6%	400 LV	± 5.0

1 "The House and Senate have recently passed plans for the withdrawal of the troops from Iraq which President Bush has said he will veto. Please tell me which of the plans most closely reflects your own views: Congress' plan to begin withdrawing troops within a few months after the bill's passage and be completed by mid-2008 OR the President's plan to increase the number of US troops in Iraq by 21,5000 and keep them there until Iraqi troops can adequately take over."

Level of Forces in Iraq

Poll	Date	Increased	Decreased	Kept same	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Badger Poll¹	June 7-15, 2007	14%	52%	30%	2%	502	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	October 18-26, 2006	17%	51%	24%	8%	508	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	June 23 – July 2, 2006	9%	52%	31%	8%	508	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	January 4-12, 2005	9%	52%	31%	8%	503	± 4.0

1 "Do you think the number of U.S. military forces in Iraq should be increased, decreased, or kept about the same?"

Level of Forces in Iraq

Level of Forces¹	October 9-16, 2006
Increase	18%
Keep same	25%
Decrease somewhat	30%
Immediate withdraw	22%
No opinion	6%
Poll	WPR / St. Norbert College
Sample	400 LV
MoE	± 4.0

1 "Looking at the current situation in Iraq, do you think we should immediately increase the number of troops, keep the same number of troops there, decrease the number of troops somewhat, or immediately withdraw all troops?"

Level of Troop Withdrawal

Poll	Date	All withdrawn immediately	Decreased, but not immediate	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Badger Poll¹	October 18-26, 2006	25%	75%	0%	508	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	June 23 – July 2, 2006	18%	81%	1%	508	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	January 4-12, 2005	19%	81%	1%	503	± 4.0

1 "Should all U.S. forces in Iraq be withdrawn immediately, or should they be decreased but not all withdrawn immediately?"

Troop Withdrawal vs. Democracy in Iraq

Poll	Date	Get troops home ASAP	Iraq peace, freedom, & democracy	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Rasmussen¹	December 8, 2005	38%	53%	9%	500 LV	± 4.5

1 "Which is more important, getting American troops home as soon as possible or making sure that Iraq becomes a peaceful nation enjoying freedom and democracy?"

Troop Level in Iraq

Poll	Date	Increased	Decreased	In Between	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Humphrey Institute¹	June 21 – July 12, 2004	24%	52%	19%	5%	575 RV	± 4.0

1 "Which statement comes closest to your point of view or do you fall somewhere in between? We should increase U.S. troops in Iraq OR we should decrease U.S. troops in Iraq."

Timetable for Withdrawal

Poll	Date	Should	Should not	No opinion	Sample	MoE
WPR / St. Norbert College¹	October 9-16, 2006	42%	55%	3%	400 LV	± 5.0

1 "Do you think the US should set a definite timetable for withdrawing the troops from Iraq?"

Note: Asked of respondents who did not support an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

Timetable for Withdrawal

Poll	Date	Keep there	Time-table	Other (vol.)	No opinion	Sample	MoE
WPR / St. Norbert Collegel¹	October 31 – November 11, 2005	45%	51%	2%	2%	400	± 5.0

1 "Do you think the US should keep our troops in Iraq until the situation has been stabilized or do you think we should set a timetable to bring them home in the near future?"

Timetable for Withdrawal

Poll	Date	Favor timetable	Oppose timetable	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Badger Poll³	April 15-24, 2008	63%	35%	2%	521	± 4.0
Badger Poll²	November 27 – December 5, 2008	60%	29%	10%	507	± 4.0
Badger Poll²	June 7-15, 2007	57%	41%	2%	502	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	October 18-26, 2006	58%	40%	2%	508	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	June 23 – July 2, 2006	53%	43%	4%	508	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	January 4-12, 2005	53%	43%	5%	503	± 4.0

1 "Senator Feingold has called for a flexible timetable for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Do you favor or oppose having a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq?"

2 "Do you favor or oppose having a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq like the one that the U.S. Congress passed this past April?"

3 "In April of 2007, the U.S. Congress passed legislation that would establish a timetable to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. The timetable included certain benchmarks that the Iraqi government must meet and a period of 6 to 8 months for withdrawal of all U.S. troops. Do you favor or oppose having a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq like the one that the U.S. Congress passed last year?"

Decision to Go to War

Poll	Date	Yes, made mistake	No, did not	No opinion	Sample	MoE
CNN / USA Today / Gallup¹	August 23-26, 2004	45%	52%	3%	645 LV	± 5.0

1 "In view of the developments since we first sent our troops to Iraq, do you think the United States made a mistake in sending troops to Iraq, or not?"

Decision to Take Military Action

Poll	Date	Right decision	Wrong decision	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Badger Poll²	April 15-24, 2008	42%	54%	4%	521	± 4.0
Badger Poll²	November 27 – December 5, 2008	37%	52%	11%	507	± 4.0
Badger Poll²	June 7-15, 2007	40%	56%	4%	502	± 4.0
WPR / St. Norbert College¹	October 31 – November 11, 2005	50%	44%	6%	400	± 5.0
WPR / St. Norbert College¹	April 14-21, 2004	54%	40%	7%	402	± 5.0

1 "Looking back, do you think that the US did the right thing in taking military action to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq or should the US have stayed out?"

2 "Looking back, do you think the United States made the right decision or the wrong decision in taking military action against Iraq?"

Military Action to Remove Saddam Hussein from Power

Poll	Date	Support	Oppose	No opinion	Sample	MoE
WPR / St. Norbert College¹	October 16-27, 2002	62%	31%	8%	382 LV	± 5.0

1 "Would you support or oppose U.S. military action to remove Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power?"

Bush Explanation for Iraq Invasion

Poll	Date	Has explained enough	Has not done enough	No opinion	Sample	MoE
WPR / St. Norbert College¹	March 6-14, 2003	46%	52%	2%	401	± 4.9
WPR / St. Norbert College¹	October 16-27, 2002	48%	49%	4%	382 LV	± 5.0

1 "Do you think the Bush Administration has done enough to explain to the American people why we should invade Iraq?"

Circumstances Under Which U.S. Should Go to War with Iraq

Circumstance¹	Agree	Disagree	No opinion
We should go to war with Iraq even if we have to act alone without support of our allies	39%	58%	2%
We should only go to war if Britain and Spain continue to support us	29%	67%	4%
We should not go to war until all our European allies support us (e.g. gain approval of France, Germany, and Russia)	37%	59%	4%
We should not go to war until our Middle Eastern allies like Saudi Arabia and Jordan support us	30%	66%	5%
We should not go to war until another UN resolution approving of the use of force is passed	47%	49%	5%
We should not go to war until the UN weapons inspectors have taken more time to d inspections	46%	52%	3%
We should not go to war with Iraq under any circumstances	12%	87%	2%
Poll	WPR / St. Norbert College
Date	March 6-14, 2003
Sample	401
MoE	± 4.9

1 "Please tell me whether you agree or disagree with the following circumstances under which the United States would go to war with Iraq."

Decision to Threaten War if Saddam Hussein Did Not Give up WMD

Poll	Date	Yes, did right thing	No, did not	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Badger Poll¹	January 4-12, 2005	61%	34%	5%	503	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	June 15-23, 2004	58%	35%	7%	504	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	April 20-28, 2004	63%	30%	7%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	March 23-31, 2004	65%	30%	5%	500	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	January 27 – February 3, 2004	64%	28%	8%	500	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	December 2-9, 2003	65%	26%	9%	510	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	October 21-28, 2003	65%	30%	5%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	August 18-27, 2003	70%	26%	4%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	May 13-21, 2003	78%	18%	4%	503	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	April 7-15, 2003	80%	16%	4%	509	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	March 4-12, 2003	65%	26%	9%	504	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	February 11-19, 2003	65%	26%	9%	514	± 4.0

1 "Do you think the United States originally did the right thing in threatening war if Saddam Hussein refused to give up any weapons of mass destruction he might have?"

Choice Between War and Letting Iraq Have WMD

Poll	Date	Yes, had to choose	No, did not have to	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Badger Poll¹	January 27 – February 3, 2004	50%	37%	13%	500	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	December 2-9, 2003	53%	36%	11%	510	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	October 21-28, 2003	54%	35%	11%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	August 18-27, 2003	57%	32%	11%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	May 13-21, 2003	66%	28%	6%	503	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	April 7-15, 2003	66%	25%	9%	509	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	March 4-12, 2003	77%	16%	7%	504	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	February 11-19, 2003	71%	20%	9%	514	± 4.0

1 "Do you think the United States had to choose between letting Iraq have weapons of mass destruction or going to war with Iraq?"

Bush Administration Steps to Avoid War with Iraq

Poll	Date	Yes, did everything	No, should have tried more	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Badger Poll¹	January 27 – February 3, 2004	46%	50%	4%	500	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	December 2-9, 2003	48%	46%	6%	510	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	October 21-28, 2003	51%	46%	3%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	August 18-27, 2003	55%	41%	4%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	May 13-21, 2003	65%	32%	3%	503	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	April 7-15, 2003	66%	31%	3%	509	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	March 4-12, 2003	56%	36%	8%	504	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	February 11-19, 2003	51%	41%	8%	514	± 4.0

1 "Do you think the Bush administration did everything it reasonably could to avoid war with Iraq, or is there something else it should have tried?"

Timing of Military Action Against Iraq

Poll	Date	Too quickly	Not quickly enough	Timing is about right	No opinion	Sample	MoE
WPR / St. Norbert College¹	October 16-27, 2002	52%	41%	3%	5%	382 LV	± 5.0

1 "Which concerns you more: that the United States might move too quickly to take military action against Iraq, or the United States might not move quickly enough?"

United Nations Role

Decision to Go to War Without UN Resolution

Poll	Date	Support	Oppose	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Badger Poll¹	January 4-12, 2005	55%	39%	6%	503	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	June 15-23, 2004	54%	40%	6%	504	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	April 20-28, 2004	57%	40%	3%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	March 23-31, 2004	59%	35%	6%	500	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	January 27 – February 3, 2004	57%	35%	8%	500	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	December 2-9, 2003	62%	31%	7%	510	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	October 21-28, 2003	62%	32%	6%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	August 18-27, 2003	61%	34%	5%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	May 13-21, 2003	71%	25%	4%	503	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	April 7-15, 2003	75%	19%	6%	509	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	March 4-12, 2003	61%	31%	8%	504	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	February 11-19, 2003	58%	32%	10%	514	± 4.0

1 "Although the UN had passed many resolutions demanding that Iraq disarm, the US was not able to get a final resolution explicitly calling for war. Do you support or oppose the decision of the US and other countries to use force anyway?"

Wait for UN Approval Before Invading Iraq

Poll	Date	Yes	No	No opinion	Sample	MoE
WPR / St. Norbert College¹	October 16-27, 2002	69%	27%	3%	382 LV	± 5.0

1 "Do you think the US should wait for United Nations approval before invading Iraq?"

Wait for Approval of Allies Before Invading Iraq

Poll	Date	Yes	No	No opinion	Sample	MoE
WPR / St. Norbert College¹	October 16-27, 2002	70%	24%	6%	382 LV	± 5.0

1 "How about our allies? Should the US wait for approval from our allies before invading Iraq?"

Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq

Likelihood Iraq Would Use WMD Against U.S. Without War

Poll	Date	Very	Somewhat	Not very	Not at all	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Badger Poll¹	January 4-12, 2005	25%	28%	24%	20%	2%	503	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	June 15-23, 2004	28%	33%	20%	18%	1%	504	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	April 20-28, 2004	24%	33%	24%	15%	4%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	March 23-31, 2004	29%	26%	27%	16%	2%	500	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	January 27 – February 3, 2004	18%	34%	26%	20%	2%	500	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	December 2-9, 2003	30%	31%	23%	13%	3%	510	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	October 21-28, 2003	32%	33%	22%	13%	0%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	August 18-27, 2003	31%	31%	24%	12%	2%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	May 13-21, 2003	40%	32%	19%	8%	1%	503	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	April 7-15, 2003	42%	32%	17%	8%	1%	509	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	March 4-12, 2003	34%	33%	23%	8%	2%	504	± 4.0

1 "If the US had decided NOT to go to war, how likely do you think it is that we would eventually have been attacked with Iraqi weapons of mass destruction?"

Reasons No WMD Found in Iraq

Poll	Date	US was wrong	Iraqis destroyed them	Iraqis hid them	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Badger Poll¹	January 4-12, 2005	30%	16%	45%	9%	503	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	June 15-23, 2004	26%	13%	54%	7%	504	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	April 20-28, 2004	24%	15%	52%	9%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	March 23-31, 2004	23%	11%	53%	13%	500	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	January 27 – February 3, 2004	29%	15%	45%	11%	500	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	December 2-9, 2003	18%	17%	54%	11%	510	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	October 21-28, 2003	17%	16%	60%	7%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	August 18-27, 2003	17%	14%	61%	8%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	May 13-21, 2003	10%	14%	66%	10%	503	± 4.0

1 "So far, the United States has not found clear evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. If it turns out that none are found, do you think this means the US was wrong about Iraq having such weapons, that the Iraqis destroyed them secretly, or that they remain hidden somewhere?"

President Bush Belief in Existence of Iraqi WMD

Poll	Date	Yes	No	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Badger Poll¹	January 4-12, 2005	73%	22%	6%	503	± 4.0

1 "Before the start of the war, President Bush said that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction which would pose a real threat to the US. Do you think he believed at the time this was true?"

Concern for Iraq Use of WMD

Concern¹	October 16-27, 2002
Attack US directly	7%
Supply terrorists	78%
Both	8%
Neither	4%
No opinion	3%
Poll	WPR / St. Norbert College
Sample	382 LV
MoE	± 5.0

1 "Are you more concerned that Iraq will directly attack the U.S. or are you more concerned that Iraq might supply weapons of mass destruction to terrorist organizations?"

Relationship to War on Terror

Impact of War on Terrorism Risk

Poll	Date	Increase	Reduce	No difference	No opinion	Sample	MoE
Badger Poll¹	January 4-12, 2005	32%	37%	28%	3%	503	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	June 15-23, 2004	38%	33%	26%	3%	504	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	April 20-28, 2004	29%	41%	27%	3%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	March 23-31, 2004	29%	39%	28%	4%	500	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	January 27 – February 3, 2004	25%	40%	32%	3%	500	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	December 2-9, 2003	27%	37%	32%	4%	510	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	October 21-28, 2003	25%	39%	32%	4%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	August 18-27, 2003	33%	35%	29%	3%	511	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	May 13-21, 2003	24%	44%	31%	1%	503	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	April 7-15, 2003	25%	46%	27%	2%	509	± 4.0
Badger Poll¹	March 4-12, 2003	42%	27%	28%	3%	504	± 4.0

1 "In the long run, will the US decision to attack Iraq increase the risk of terrorism in the world, reduce it, or not make that much difference one way or the other?"

Impact of War on Safety from Terrorism

Poll	Date	More safe	Less safe	No difference	No opinion	Sample	MoE
WPR / St. Norbert College¹	October 9-16, 2006	34%	54%	8%	5%	400 LV	± 5.0
WPR / St. Norbert College¹	October 4-13, 2004	42%