Nearly Four in 10 Americans Polled Doubt If War Is Worth Casualties

The Wall Street Journal ^ | 3/31/3 | JOHN HARWOOD and CHRISTOPHER COOPER

[WaveThatFlag]

WASHINGTON -- Ordinary Americans are struggling with the same quandary facing President Bush and his military commanders: In the war to oust Saddam Hussein and transform Iraq, how many casualties are too many?

That question has taken on new urgency as early developments in the 11-day-old war have many in the public bracing for a longer conflict than they first anticipated. And it is all the more difficult to answer because the goal of limiting U.S. military casualties conflicts with the desire to limit deaths of Iraqi civilians.

[WaveThatFlag]

The theatre of the absurd rages on. Please take the article's advice are send the authors a note.

[pgyanke]

Nearly Four in 10 Americans Polled Doubt If War Is Worth Casualties

Alternate (less politically-correct?) Title:

Almost 60% of Americans See War as Worth the Casualties

[KansasConservative1]

The title is a BS representation of the facts. Try this...

Nearly Six in 10 Americans Polled Believe War Is Worth Casualties.

An overwhelming majority (60%) believe that the war is worth the sacrifice.

Statistics are subject to the contextual wording.

[KansasConservative1]

The title is a BS representation of the facts. Try this...

Nearly Six in 10 Americans Polled Believe War Is Worth Casualties.

An overwhelming majority (60%) believe that the war is worth the sacrifice.

Statistics are subject to the contextual wording.

[Wright is right!]

"...and nearly four in 10 express doubts that it is worth the cost in U.S. military casualties."

This means that MORE THAN SIX IN TEN feel it's worth the cost in casualties. This is the sort of spin that one doesn't expect to be expectorated in the WSJ.

Michael

[TxBec]

"A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll makes that tension clear. Half of all Americans now expect the war to last three months or more, and nearly four in 10 express doubts that it is worth the cost in U.S. military casualties. As that cost comes into view, 42% say the military hasn't used enough force against adversaries."

Spin spin spin. Does this mean that 6 out of 10 DO support the war???

[Wright is right!]

If it's "almost 4 in 10," then the recip is "More than 6 in 10." Not "almost 6 in 10."

Michael

[mewzilla]

I don't see any details as to when this poll was taken, how many people were polled, how they were selected, what the exact wording of the question(s) asked was/were...This poll is worthless.

[pgyanke]

Picky, picky... but true... thanks.

[trebb]

The same 40% would not have thought WWII was worth it either...Let's face it - war and death suck, but the alternatives are far worse..

[Uncle Miltie]

One Iraqi nuke can ruin your whole day!

[Naspino]

These guys are not just out there to protect us in this war but to liberate a people and bring them freedom and a chance for life. The current generation of Iraq may not get it -- but their grandchildren hopefully will never know what it was like to live under Saddam.

I'm tired of the equivolence of 40 soldiers to the 100,000 of Iraqis killed in the last few years and the millions that have probably died in the last 20. The freaking SARS virus has killed more people than the Iraqi "stiff-resistance" in the past week. Give me a BREAK!

I'm sure they won't have this problem when a Demonrat comes to power. Then they'd love to give up American lives to save whales -- or squirls or some *#$U.

[Wright is right!]

"Picky, picky... but true... thanks."

The important thing is that you IMMEDIATELY seized upon the numerical spin and false premise. In fact, all of the Rapid Response posters picked up right away on the effort to turn a positive poll into a negative.

Michael

[smith288]

Bush: "As long as it takes"

Bush isnt Clinton and isnt moved by public opinion. He knows what is right and knows more than 99.999% of what the public knows.

[equus]

What you're not getting is that sentiment is shifting. More were in favor previously. With each passing week, increasing casualties, sentiment will continue to turn.

[wilmington2]

How many of our society have the courage of little girls? This has to be addressed.

[kjam22]

I'm not sure it is worth the casualities. In a way I would rather we had just nuked the entire region into oblivion and been done with it.

[sharktrager]

Amazingly, this is roughly the same percentage as the number of Americans who oppose the war.

[Incorrigible]

I had the same thought when reading this article. A few neutron bombs, no US casualties and we get to keep the artifacts of Babylon intact for the tourists.

[kjam22]

I had the same thought when reading this article. A few neutron bombs, no US casualties and we get to keep the artifacts of Babylon intact for the tourists.

There you go. That's my solution.