Bush Leaves Out the Bad News in Iraqi Poll

Monday, December 19, 2005


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(12-19) 17:55 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) --


President Bush is making selective use of an opinion poll when he tells
people that Iraqis are increasingly upbeat.


The same poll that indicated a majority of Iraqis believe their lives
are going well also found a majority expressing opposition to the
presence of U.S. forces, and less than half saying Iraq is better off
now than before the war.


Bush frequently talks in general terms about millions of Iraqis
"looking forward to a future with hope and optimism," as he put it in a
news conference Monday. The previous evening, he was more specific in
his televised address when he declared, "Seven in 10 Iraqis say their
lives are going well - and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve
even more in the year ahead."


He was referring to an ABC News poll conducted with Time magazine and
other media partners before the Iraqi general elections last week. Bush
is dismissive of polls that reflect on his own performance, claiming
not to pay attention to them.


Among the findings:


_More than two-thirds of Iraqis surveyed face-to-face opposed the U.S.
presence, but only one-quarter of respondents wanted American troops to
leave right away.


_44 percent said their country is better off than before the war.


_More than six in 10 said they feel safe in their neighborhoods, up
from four in 10 in June 2004.


_Half said the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was wrong, up from 39 percent
in February 2004.


_More than two-thirds said they expect things to get better in the
coming months