Majority of Americans feel war has not made US safer

WASHINGTON (AFP) — For the first time since its launch in March 2003, a majority of Americans feel the Iraq war has not made the United States a safer place to live, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll published Wednesday.
Fifty-two per cent of the 1,002 adults who took part in the telephone survey on June 2-5 said the US-led war did not contribute to the long-term security of their country, which was a chief premise on which US President George W. Bush justified the invasion of Iraq.

With only 47 per cent of Americans saying the war was keeping them safe from terrorism at home, it was the first time a majority rejected Bush’s contention, which got a 62 per cent support in late 2003 and 52 per cent three months ago.

By a very slim majority of 50-49 per cent, Americans also disapproved of how Bush was handling the campaign against terrorism, down from 56 per cent in April. Bush’s overall disapproval rating was 52 per cent, the highest of his presidency and two points higher than in April, the survey said.

The Republican-led Congress also got bad marks, with 56 per cent of Americans disapproving of the way Repubican lawmakers were handling their job, while Democrats fared no better, also getting a 56 per cent disapproval rating.