HELEX
04-11-2004, 05:24 PM
PRNewswire
Monday, Apr. 12, 2004
NEW YORK -- Based on what National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and former counter-terrorism chief Richard Clarke have told the 9-11 commission, 60 percent of Americans polled say the Bush administration underestimated the terrorist threat and focused too much on other security issues like missile defense and Iraq prior to September 11, according to the latest Newsweek Poll.
Just 23 percent say the Bush administration took the threat seriously.
But when asked what they thought had contributed more to government's failure to prevent the September 11 attacks, 52 percent of Americans say a lack of information from intelligence agencies like the FBI and the CIA about terrorist threats inside the United States and 25 percent say the lack of focus by the Bush administration on Al Qaeda and its terrorist capabilities.
And 24 percent of those polled say the Clinton administration was more to blame for not preventing the attacks than the Bush administration; 18 percent say the Bush administration is more to blame. Thirty-nine percent say they're equally to blame, the poll shows.
Twenty-one percent of those polled say Rice's testimony before the commission has made them more likely to think the Bush administration did all it could to prevent the September 11 attacks; 15 percent say it's made them less likely to think so and 46 percent say her testimony hasn't made much of a difference.
Forty-five percent say Rice was reasonably cooperative in answering the commission members' questions and 37 percent say the commission members have generally been fair in their questioning of Rice and other government officials; 38 percent say they've been too partisan. On the topic of Iraq, 40 percent of Americans polled say they are very concerned and 24 percent are somewhat concerned that Iraq will become another Vietnam, in which the U.S. does not accomplish all of its goals despite many years of military involvement.
The Newsweek Poll finds that those who lived through the Vietnam era as adults worry the most: 46 percent of those aged 50-64 are very concerned, compared with 39 percent of those aged 30-49 and 34 percent of those aged 18-29.
Just 15 percent of those polled are very confident that the U.S. will successfully establish a stable democratic form of government in Iraq over the long term, compared with 19 percent in the January 8-9 Newsweek Poll; 35 percent are somewhat confident; 24 percent are not too confident and 22 percent are not at all confident, up seven points combined from the January poll.
Fifty-one percent of those polled disapprove of the way Bush is handling the situation in Iraq; 44 percent approve. Nonetheless, 63 percent of Americans say they would support increasing the number of U.S. military personnel in Iraq, if necessary, in response to the recent attacks on coalition forces by Iraqi militants; 31 percent would not support the increase.
And 50 percent say the June 30 deadline of turning over power in Iraq to an interim Iraqi government should not be extended; 34 percent say it should be extended, the poll shows.
And a 57-percent majority say the U.S. did the right thing in taking military action against Iraq last year. Yet, 42 percent say that action has increased the risk that large numbers of Americans will be killed or injured in a future terrorist attack; 29 percent say it's decreased the risk.
Bush fares better in the Newsweek Poll when asked about the homeland: 59 percent of Americans polled approve of the president's handling of terrorism and homeland security. His job-approval rating remained steady in the Newsweek Poll at 49 percent. However, 55 percent disapprove of the president's handling of the economy, up three points from the Feb. 19-20 Newsweek Poll, and 59 percent say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States today.
On the Campaign 2004 front, Democratic challenger John Kerry leads Bush by his widest margin yet in the Newsweek Poll. In a test match-up, 50 percent of registered voters say they'd vote for Kerry or lean toward voting for Kerry.
Forty-three percent say they'd vote for Bush or lean toward voting for Bush, the poll shows.
In a test match-up with Bush, Kerry and Independent candidate Ralph Nader, 42 percent of registered voters pick Bush or lean toward Bush; 46 percent pick Kerry or lean toward Kerry and 4 percent pick Nader or lean toward Nader, the poll shows.
Forty-eight percent of registered voters have a favorable opinion of President Bush; 46 percent have an unfavorable opinion of him. Fifty-one percent of registered voters have a favorable opinion of John Kerry while 34 percent have an unfavorable opinion of him.
For this Newsweek Poll, Princeton Survey Research Associates International interviewed 1,005 adults aged 18 and older on April 8-9, 2004. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points. This poll is part of the April 19 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, April 12).
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/4/11/121630.shtml
Monday, Apr. 12, 2004
NEW YORK -- Based on what National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and former counter-terrorism chief Richard Clarke have told the 9-11 commission, 60 percent of Americans polled say the Bush administration underestimated the terrorist threat and focused too much on other security issues like missile defense and Iraq prior to September 11, according to the latest Newsweek Poll.
Just 23 percent say the Bush administration took the threat seriously.
But when asked what they thought had contributed more to government's failure to prevent the September 11 attacks, 52 percent of Americans say a lack of information from intelligence agencies like the FBI and the CIA about terrorist threats inside the United States and 25 percent say the lack of focus by the Bush administration on Al Qaeda and its terrorist capabilities.
And 24 percent of those polled say the Clinton administration was more to blame for not preventing the attacks than the Bush administration; 18 percent say the Bush administration is more to blame. Thirty-nine percent say they're equally to blame, the poll shows.
Twenty-one percent of those polled say Rice's testimony before the commission has made them more likely to think the Bush administration did all it could to prevent the September 11 attacks; 15 percent say it's made them less likely to think so and 46 percent say her testimony hasn't made much of a difference.
Forty-five percent say Rice was reasonably cooperative in answering the commission members' questions and 37 percent say the commission members have generally been fair in their questioning of Rice and other government officials; 38 percent say they've been too partisan. On the topic of Iraq, 40 percent of Americans polled say they are very concerned and 24 percent are somewhat concerned that Iraq will become another Vietnam, in which the U.S. does not accomplish all of its goals despite many years of military involvement.
The Newsweek Poll finds that those who lived through the Vietnam era as adults worry the most: 46 percent of those aged 50-64 are very concerned, compared with 39 percent of those aged 30-49 and 34 percent of those aged 18-29.
Just 15 percent of those polled are very confident that the U.S. will successfully establish a stable democratic form of government in Iraq over the long term, compared with 19 percent in the January 8-9 Newsweek Poll; 35 percent are somewhat confident; 24 percent are not too confident and 22 percent are not at all confident, up seven points combined from the January poll.
Fifty-one percent of those polled disapprove of the way Bush is handling the situation in Iraq; 44 percent approve. Nonetheless, 63 percent of Americans say they would support increasing the number of U.S. military personnel in Iraq, if necessary, in response to the recent attacks on coalition forces by Iraqi militants; 31 percent would not support the increase.
And 50 percent say the June 30 deadline of turning over power in Iraq to an interim Iraqi government should not be extended; 34 percent say it should be extended, the poll shows.
And a 57-percent majority say the U.S. did the right thing in taking military action against Iraq last year. Yet, 42 percent say that action has increased the risk that large numbers of Americans will be killed or injured in a future terrorist attack; 29 percent say it's decreased the risk.
Bush fares better in the Newsweek Poll when asked about the homeland: 59 percent of Americans polled approve of the president's handling of terrorism and homeland security. His job-approval rating remained steady in the Newsweek Poll at 49 percent. However, 55 percent disapprove of the president's handling of the economy, up three points from the Feb. 19-20 Newsweek Poll, and 59 percent say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States today.
On the Campaign 2004 front, Democratic challenger John Kerry leads Bush by his widest margin yet in the Newsweek Poll. In a test match-up, 50 percent of registered voters say they'd vote for Kerry or lean toward voting for Kerry.
Forty-three percent say they'd vote for Bush or lean toward voting for Bush, the poll shows.
In a test match-up with Bush, Kerry and Independent candidate Ralph Nader, 42 percent of registered voters pick Bush or lean toward Bush; 46 percent pick Kerry or lean toward Kerry and 4 percent pick Nader or lean toward Nader, the poll shows.
Forty-eight percent of registered voters have a favorable opinion of President Bush; 46 percent have an unfavorable opinion of him. Fifty-one percent of registered voters have a favorable opinion of John Kerry while 34 percent have an unfavorable opinion of him.
For this Newsweek Poll, Princeton Survey Research Associates International interviewed 1,005 adults aged 18 and older on April 8-9, 2004. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points. This poll is part of the April 19 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, April 12).
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/4/11/121630.shtml