Poll: Military Force Should Be Used In Iraq
Clinton's approval rating remains at historical highs; Public divided on renaming of Washington's National Airport
By Keating Holland/CNN
WASHINGTON (Feb. 6) -- Two-thirds of the country favors using military force now to remove Iraq's Saddam Hussein from power, according to the latest CNN/TIME poll.
And 68 percent think the U.S. and its allies should conduct air strikes to attack sites which Iraq may be using to develop weapons of mass destruction.
But the public is split over whether ground troops should be used to attack those sites. Meanwhile, 71 percent of the country has a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in President Bill Clinton's ability to handle the situation in Iraq.
The survey of 1,023 adult Americans was conducted Feb. 4-5, 1998 and has a margin of error of +/- 3 percentage points.
Military Force To Remove Saddam Hussein From Power |
Favor Oppose |
|
65% 26% |
Air Strikes Against Iraq |
Favor Oppose |
|
68% 22% |
Ground Troops Against Iraq |
Favor Oppose |
|
46% 44% |
Confidence In Clinton's Ability To Handle Situation in Iraq |
Great deal Fair amount Only a little None at all |
|
32% 39% 18% 9% |
Clinton's approval rating remains at historically high levels, and three-quarters of the nation continues to believe that things are going well in the country today.
Clinton's approval rating, now at 66 percent, is virtually unchanged from a week ago, and significantly higher than it was before the allegations about an affair with Monica Lewinsky first surfaced. Only one in five Americans currently believe that Clinton should be impeached and removed from office.
Most Americans continue to believe that Clinton and Lewinsky had an extramarital affair, but if Lewinsky willingly consented to the relationship, only 16 percent consider that sexual harassment on Clinton's part -- if such an affair occurred. Only a third say that Clinton's sexual behavior during his term as president should be relevant to how he is judged in office.
Clinton Approval Rating |
Approve Disapprove |
|
66% 28% |
How Things Are Going In Country Today |
Very/fairly well Poorly |
|
74% 25% |
Should Clinton Be Impeached And Removed From Office? |
Yes No |
|
19% 73% |
Did Clinton Have Affair With Monica Lewinsky? |
Yes No |
|
54% 37% |
Sexual Harassment If Affair Happened? |
Yes No |
|
16% 78% |
Clinton's Sexual Behavior Since He Became President |
Relevant Not relevant |
|
35% 63% |
The public is split over Congress' recent decision to rename Washington
National Airport after Ronald Reagan. 39 percent favor renaming the airport; 39 percent oppose.
A majority of Republicans approve of the name change, but most Democrats and most Independents oppose the move.
Rename Airport After Ronald Reagan? |
Favor Oppose Unsure |
|
39% 39% 22% |
|