GOP Nominee
Former Candidates
Rasmussen War on Terror Survey
Who do you think is winning the war on terror?
- U.S./Allies 48%
- Terrorists 20%
- Neither 25%
Will the situation in Iraq get better or worse over the coming six months?
- Better 37%
- Worse 25%
Is the United States safer today than it was before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks?
- Safer 45%*
- Not safer 37%
* These figures are the most optimistic on record.
In the long run, the U.S. mission in Iraq will be seen as a …
- Success 33%
- Failure 44%
Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports June 30, 2008. The margin of sampling error for the survey is +/- 3 percentage points.
Inside the numbers:
These figures reflect a dramatic improvement from a year ago—in July 2007, only 36% thought the U.S. and its allies were winning. An equal number thought the terrorists held the advantage.
Seventy-nine percent (79%) of Republicans think the U.S. and its allies are winning, up from 68% last week. There is little change among Democrats, only 27% of whom agree. But 43% of unaffiliated voters, who will be key to the fall election, now think the U.S. is winning, up from 36% a week ago.
The 28-point difference is the most favorable margin recorded by Rasmussen Reports since tracking began in January 2004 and seems to reflect a growing confidence among adults that the tide is turning in Iraq and in the war on terror in general. The previous high was established on September 6, 2004 when 52% thought the U.S. and its allies were winning but 26% thought the terrorists were winning at that time for a 26-point favorable margin.
Both men (54% now, up from 49% last week) and women (43%, up from 37%) also are more confident that the U.S. and its allies are winning in Iraq.
A year ago, the assessment was far more pessimistic—just 23% said that things would get better while 49% offered the more pessimistic response.
A plurality of voters (44%) still believe the war in Iraq will go down in history as a failure, although that number, too, has fallen six percentage points in a week with most going into the ranks of the undecided. Thirty-three percent (33%) say it will be considered a success, up a single percentage point from a week ago.
Nearly eight out of 10 Americans (78%) think Iran is likely to soon develop nuclear weapons, and over half say the Iranians will not halt their program no matter who is elected president, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
Forty-three percent (43%) of Likely Voters think it is possible to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, but 52% believe Iran is not likely to stop if McCain is elected to the White House. Even more (61%) say the same if Obama becomes president.
Sixty-three percent (63%) say the goal of Iran’s uranium enrichment program is to develop nuclear weapons, as opposed to 12% who believe the Iranian government’s claim that it is for energy purposes alone.
Fifty-seven (57%) of Republicans believe it is possible to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, compared to only 38% of Democrats and 35% of unaffiliated voters.
Fifty-two percent (52%) of Republicans also think Iran is likely to halt its nuclear program if McCain is elected president, but only 24% of Democrats and unaffiliated voters agree. Perhaps indicative of the general belief that McCain has more foreign policy expertise than his opponent, only 40% of Democrats think Iran is likely to stop developing nuclear weapons if Obama is elected, a view shared by 11% of Republicans and 24% of unaffiliated voters.
July 16th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Thamk you Mr. Bush (and Mr. McCain) for keeping us and our families safe! Thank you for protecting us and our way of Life. Long live America! GOD Bless us and Bless the President too.
July 16th, 2008 at 10:41 am
I agree with you, Ohio Joe.
And thank you, President Bush for lifting the executive ban on drilling.
The price of a barrel of oil immediately reflected this action.
Now when (if) the Democratic-led Congress will lift its ban, we will see gas prices go down again.
July 16th, 2008 at 10:42 am
Excellent Job, President Bush
July 16th, 2008 at 10:51 am
The Washington Post has just whacked Obama with a 2×4 upside the head for the “irrational and ahistorical” way in which he views Iraq; demonstrating that “he is ultimately indifferent to the war’s outcome.”
The Iron Timetable
Whether the war in Iraq is being lost or won, Barack Obama’s strategy remains unchanged.
July 16th, 2008 at 10:53 am
US troops poised to cross Afghan border (into Pakistan) for raid on bases
July 16th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Ready to invade Pakistan?
July 16th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Barack Obama’s plan ignores the facts
While he offered a compelling view of how America should have engaged the world after 9/11 instead of invading Iraq and getting bogged down, the speech suffered from fundamental flaws in logic and fact that Obama refuses to confront.
He can’t bring himself to acknowledge how the successful surge of our troops has altered the dynamics in Iraq and that he was wrong to oppose it. He went further than usual in citing “the gains of the surge,” but still won’t factor those gains into his commitment to withdraw combat troops over 16 months. When he says, “I stand by my pledges to end the war,” he might as well add, “The facts be damned.”
Meanwhile, he wants to use the surge strategy in Afghanistan, saying, “This is a war we have to win.” The contrast he set up suggests he does not believe Iraq is a meaningful struggle and that we have little stake in the outcome. The number of Americans who agree with him is declining because of the success, proving they were not opposed to the war as much as they opposed losing it.
There were other head-scratchers as well. Obama talked tough about forging a new relationship with Pakistan to keep militants from crossing into Afghanistan. But in the next breath, he attacked President Pervez Musharraf, who, despite his flaws, is more committed to rooting out Taliban and Al Qaeda elements than the coalition government now calling the shots.
Obama also talked about stopping Iran’s nuclear program in ways I find confusing. While he promised to “use all elements of American power to pressure the Iranian regime,” he praised European governments that have been less forceful than our own. His pressure tactics come down to meeting with Iranian leaders and threatening more sanctions, which are not likely to get through the Security Council.
And as bromides go, there was this one: “It’s time to reform the United Nations, so that this imperfect institution can become a more perfect forum to share burdens, strengthen our leverage and promote our values.”
That’ll leave ‘em laughing in Tehran, and it begs a question: Is that all there is?
July 16th, 2008 at 11:02 am
The New Reality in Iraq
By FREDERICK W. KAGAN , KIMBERLY KAGAN AND JACK KEANE
July 16th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I have alot of bad things to say about the Washington Post, but they’ve been geninely covering Obama, something that isn’t true about any other leftist paper. Perhaps a McCain endorsement isn’t out of the question; they endorsed Bob Erlich in 06′ over a ludicrously incompetent, “savior” mayor of Baltimore.
July 16th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
from the poll:Forty-four percent (44%) of voters say that they trust Obama more when it comes to Iraq, 43% say they trust McCain more. McCain has an advantage on the broader topic of national security issues.
July 16th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Trust More on Issues:
Net Dem Advtg:
Health Care
55-34 Dem +21
Education
50-33 Dem +17
Gov’t Ethics & Corruption
40-29 Dem +11
Social Security
48-37 Dem +11
Economy
47-37 Dem +10 (June: Dem +14)
Abortion
47-37 Dem +10
Taxes
46-41 Dem +5
Immigration
37-37 Even
Iraq
41-42 GOP +1 (June: Dem +8)
Nat’l Security/ War on Terror
40-45 GOP +5 (June: Dem +3)
So Dems lost big on Iraq/nat’l security and somewhat on economy in the past month.