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INSIDE POLITICS

Poll shows dissatisfaction with Iraq war

Approval rating for war on terrorism also slips

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(CNN) -- Nearly six in 10 Americans oppose the war in Iraq and a growing number of them are dissatisfied with the war on terrorism, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday.

Only 39 percent of those polled said they favored the war in Iraq -- down from 47 percent in March -- and 59 percent were opposed.

The survey of 1,006 adults, conducted by telephone Thursday through Sunday, had an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The percentage of Americans dissatisfied with the war in Iraq is comparable to responses to similar questions in other recent polls.

In a Gallup poll earlier this month that asked, "All in all, do you think it was worth going to war in Iraq, or not," 56 percent said it was not worth it and 42 percent said it was. (Full story)

A poll taken in December 2003, shortly after the capture of Saddam Hussein, found that 62 percent of Americans believed the war was worthwhile. (Full story)

War on terror

The poll showed that approval for the Bush administration's war on terrorism also has declined, with 10 percent of respondents saying they were very satisfied with the way things were going in the war on terrorism, down from 19 percent in a February poll.

Forty-seven percent of respondents said they were "not satisfied" with the war on terrorism -- up from 35 percent in February -- and 42 percent were "somewhat satisfied," compared to 45 percent in the earlier poll.

Even so, only 4 percent said they considered a terrorist attack in the United States over the next few weeks "very likely" -- down from 10 percent in February.

Thirty-one percent considered an attack somewhat likely and 63 percent said one was not likely, compared to 38 percent and 51 percent, respectively, in a December poll.

Fewer than four in 10 Americans said they were at least somewhat worried about becoming a victim of terror.

The poll showed that 52 percent of respondents approved of how the United States has treated prisoners at the detention camp in the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- compared to 37 percent who disapproved.

Some critics have said the facility should be closed in the wake of allegations of mistreatment of detainees there, but poll respondents disagreed -- 58 percent to 36 percent.

Presidential ratings

Meanwhile, 47 percent of those surveyed said they approved of how President Bush was handling his job, the same percentage as earlier this month.

Over the past year, Bush's rating has hovered near 50 percent, with a low of 45 percent in March and a high of 57 percent just after his second inauguration and the State of the Union in February. A poll in May put his approval rating at 46 percent. (Full story)

For only the second time in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, more respondents than not disapproved of Bush's job performance. The count was 51 percent, the same percentage recorded in the poll on May 7, 2004.

Only 23 percent said they had a great deal of confidence in the Bush administration's ability to protect U.S. citizens from future terrorist attacks, down from 38 percent in February.

Those expressing a moderate amount of confidence rose slightly to 38 percent from 35 percent, while those saying they had no confidence climbed to 17 percent from 10 percent in February.

Bush: U.S. 'making progress' in Iraq

Bush said Monday the United States is "making progress" toward its goals in the war in Iraq.

"The report from the field is that, while it's tough, more and more Iraqis are becoming battle-hardened and trained to defend themselves," Bush told reporters at an appearance with European Union leaders at the White House.

"That's exactly the strategy that's going to work -- and it is going to work. And we will complete this mission for the sake of world peace."

Sen. Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat, said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation" Sunday that a "gigantic gap" exists "between the rhetoric here in Washington and the reality on the ground."

Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that Americans should be told that the war there will last at least "a couple more years." (Full story)

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