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| Iraq |
| Baghdad residents support US presence |
| 2003-10-14 |
| Majority of Iraqis still do not get how the evil aggressors are jeopardizing their country. "Pulling out" remains unpopular with the locals... More than two-thirds of Baghdad residents would like to see US troops stay longer than a few more months, a poll says. But many still have sharply mixed feelings about their presence. The Gallup poll has found 71% of the Iraqi capital’s residents felt US troops should not leave in the next few months. Just 26% felt the troops should leave that soon. But a sizeable minority felt there were circumstances in which attacks against those troops could be justified. Almost one in five (19%) said attacks could be justified, and an additional 17% said they could be in some situations. These mixed feelings from Baghdad residents come at a time when many in the US are calling for the troops to be brought home soon. For illustrative purposes, we should be shown an opinion poll that has not revealed "mixed feelings". When Gallup set out recently to poll residents of Baghdad on their feelings about the war, US troops and the future of their country, the biggest surprise may have been public reaction to the questioners. The response rate was close to 97%, with some people following questioners around the streets begging for a chance to give their opinions, said Richard Burkholder, director of international polling for the organisation. Almost six in 10 in the poll (58%), said US troops in Baghdad have behaved fairly well or very well, with one in 10 saying "very well". Twenty percent said the troops have behaved fairly badly and 9% said very badly. Six in 10 Baghdad residents said that within the past four weeks they had been afraid at times to go outside their homes during the day. ...We see again, for the upteenth time, how the brave international anti-warriors are not speaking for the "occupied" Iraqis, or the "imperialistic" US/coalition. Just who do they speak for? (No prizes) |
| Posted by:Bulldog |
| #3 What goofy numbers! 26% want us to leave. It is safe to assume that the 19% who justify attacks, and 7% of the 17% additional, came from that 26%. 4% are on the fence, so probably should be counted as those who see attacks justified in some circustances. Remaining 6% probably out of the 71% wanting us to stay, but only if we behave ourselves: I.e. as we do now. Not too hard to agree with them: *IF* we start being stupid, then we deserve to get our asses handed to us. But we won't, 'cause we're smarter than that, and HAVE learned from Vietnam. Just not the lessons THEY wanted us to learn. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-10-14 1:21:24 PM |
| #2 It was amusing this weekend to see Tom Friedman lecturing a group dominated by anti-administration types that moral seriousness was in order and that it was time to buckle down for the long haul in Iraq. |
| Posted by: Hiryu 2003-10-14 9:12:54 AM |
| #1 ...when many in the US are calling for the troops to be brought home soon. Um, who are those people? I mean, outside of the loony left that started organizing their "peace" marches while the WTC rubble was still smoking. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-10-14 7:10:28 AM |