Fox News Poll: Voters Say Afghanistan Matters, US Safer after Action in Iraq
By Dana Blanton
Published March 21, 2013
FoxNews.com
In this Saturday, April 28, 2012 file photo, Iraqi army soldiers remove concrete blast walls in Baghdad, Iraq. In Baghdad, life goes on much as it has since the Ottoman sultan ruled these parts. Yet the legacy of a war that began a decade ago remains very much a part of life here too. (AP)
Less than half of American voters support the war in Afghanistan, yet there’s widespread belief that what happens over there matters here at home.
A just-released Fox News poll also finds that a majority agrees the country is safer today because of the U.S. military action taken in Iraq.
CLICK TO VIEW THE FOX NEWS POLL
Seven in 10 voters (71 percent) believe what happens in Afghanistan is important to their security here. That’s down from 76 percent who felt that way in 2010, and a high of 83 percent in 2009.
Across the board, majorities of Republicans (79 percent), Democrats (67 percent) and independents (63 percent) believe Afghanistan matters to their safety.
Even so, less than half of voters -- 47 percent -- support the U.S. military action in Afghanistan. That represents a significant drop from the 62 percent who supported the action in both 2011 and 2010.
Among partisans, the biggest decline in support is among Democrats (down 22 percentage points) -- although fewer independents (down 13 points) and Republicans (down 9 points) back the action now as well.
President Obama announced in his State of the Union speech in February the U.S. would withdraw more than 30,000 troops from Afghanistan, or about half of the 66,000 troops still there, by early next year.
Iraq
By a 20-point margin, more voters agree (58 percent) than disagree (38 percent) that the United States and the world are safer today because of the U.S. military action taken in Iraq. That is unchanged from 2010, when 58 percent also agreed.
One major shift comes among Democrats: 54 percent now say the Iraq war has made the U.S. safer, up from 44 percent who felt that way in 2010.
Among Republicans (down 9 points) and independents (down 3 points) the shift is in the opposite direction, as fewer now believe the war has made the country safer than did three years ago.
Poll Pourri …
Voters disapprove of the Transportation Security Administration’s recent announcement that it will again allow small knives and certain sporting equipment on planes. The policy change has met resistance from airline crew members and lawmakers on Capitol Hill alike.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/21/fox-news-poll-voters-say-afghanistan-matters-us-safer-after-action-in-iraq/#ixzz2OExuXAqz
