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Inside Politics

Poll: Sending troops to Iraq a mistake

Presidential contest a tie among likely voters


THE MORNING GRIND
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CNN's Bill Schneider on results of the newly released poll.

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- For the first time since the start of the war in Iraq, a majority of Americans surveyed in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll say the United States made a mistake in sending troops to that country.

Fifty-four percent of those polled said it was a mistake to send U.S. troops to Iraq, compared with 41 percent who expressed that sentiment in early June.

Most respondents to the poll, 55 percent, also said they don't believe the war has made the United States safer from terrorism -- rejecting an argument that President Bush has repeatedly advanced in his rationale for the war.

Yet the poll, results of which were released Thursday, also found that Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has made little headway among respondents on the issue of Iraq, which has figured prominently on the campaign trail.

Kerry, a four-term U.S. senator from Massachusetts, and Bush are essentially tied when poll respondents are asked who would better handle the situation in Iraq.

Forty-seven percent said Bush would do a better job on Iraq, compared with 46 percent who picked Kerry.

Commander in chief

And while six in 10 of those polled said they believe Kerry could handle the job of commander-in-chief, most indicated that they trust Bush more in that role, 51 percent to 43 percent.

The poll, based on interviews with 1,005 Americans -- including 521 likely voters -- was conducted by telephone June 21-23.

The margin of error varied by question, from a low of 3 percentage points to 4.5 percentage points.

The poll was released on the same day that a wave of attacks on Iraqis and coalition forces left more than 90 dead. (U.S. could send more troops to Iraq)

The impact of the attacks on opinion recorded in the poll was not a factor since the survey was taken earlier this week.

Looking at the presidential race, the poll found a tie among likely voters: 49 percent for Bush and 48 percent for Kerry.

When poll respondents were asked to consider independent Ralph Nader, the breakdown was: 48 percent for Bush, 47 percent for Kerry and 3 percent for Nader.

The poll found some advantages for Kerry. His favorable rating is higher than Bush's, 58 percent to 53 percent, and it has grown over the past few months as Bush's has fallen.

Kerry also gets higher ratings on who would better handle the economy -- 53 percent of respondents picked the Democrat, while 40 percent selected Bush.

And the economy was identified by more voters, 41 percent, as the most important role for the president -- ahead of both managing the government or acting as commander in chief.

CNN Polling Director Keating Holland contributed to this report.


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