Shift in Public Opinion on Iraq War Reflects Widespread Misinformation

Strategic Insights -

A significant shift in public opinion on the Iraq war has been observed in recent polls, with a majority of Americans now believing that the war was not worth it and that President Bush misled the country about prewar intelligence and the Iraqi threat. The latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that 52% of Americans think the war was not worth it, compared to 42% who think it was. The majority of Americans also believe that Bush had misled the country about prewar intelligence (57% vs. 35%), and that the president has not given good reasons to keep US troops in Iraq (58% to 38%). The indictment of Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, on charges of lying to a grand jury has also contributed to the shift in public opinion, as it has conveyed the impression that the administration has something to hide.

Key Takeaways:

  • Recent polls show a significant shift in public opinion on the Iraq war, with a majority of Americans now believing that the war was not worth it (52%).
  • The NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that majorities of Americans believe that Bush had misled the country about prewar intelligence (57% vs. 35%) and that the president has not given good reasons to keep US troops in Iraq (58% to 38%).
  • The indictment of Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, on charges of lying to a grand jury has contributed to the shift in public opinion.
  • The media coverage of the investigation that led to Libby's indictment has made it clear that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction and was not working with Al Qaeda.
  • The statements of Bush and Cheney during the campaign muddied the waters, creating plenty of opportunities for misunderstandings about the Iraqi threat and the existence of weapons of mass destruction.
  • Many voters who were misled by the administration's statements are now changing their opinions, with increasing numbers of Bush's own voters feeling they were misled.
  • The president's credibility problem is not with Democrats, but with his own voters who feel they were misled.

Statistics:

  • 52% of Americans believe that the Iraq war was not worth it (NBC/Wall Street Journal poll).
  • 57% of Americans believe that Bush had misled the country about prewar intelligence (NBC/Wall Street Journal poll).
  • 58% of Americans believe that the president has not given good reasons to keep US troops in Iraq (NBC/Wall Street Journal poll).
  • 62% of all voters believed that Saddam Hussein had "helped plan and support the hijackers" who attacked the United States in 2001 (Harris Poll).
  • 84% of Bush voters believed that Hussein had "strong links" to Al Qaeda (Harris Poll).
  • 58% of Bush voters believed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when the United States invaded (Harris Poll).

Sources:

  • NBC/Wall Street Journal poll
  • Harris Poll