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CNN Live At Daybreak
America's Voice: Road map to Peace
Aired June 03, 2003 - 06:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now to President Bush's diplomatic push for peace in the Middle East. Mr. Bush is meeting now with Arab leaders in Egypt, hoping to pick up support for the U.S.-backed road map for Israeli-Palestinian peace. The president has reaffirmed his commitment to stay personally involved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The first message is, I will dedicate the time and energy to move the process forward, and I think we'll make some progress. I know we're making progress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Tomorrow, Mr. Bush will travel to Jordan for meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas.
So, how important is this road map to peace for most Americans? We've asked Gallup Poll editor-in-chief Frank Newport to find out for us. He's here live now with the new numbers this morning.
Good morning -- Frank.
FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.
Here's how I would summarize it: The American public is all favor of the road map for peace and what President Bush is doing there, but they're skeptical that it's going to lead to peace, at least in the short run.
A key point of the road map, of course, is the ultimate creation of an independent Palestinian state. We've actually tracked the American public's opinion about that over a number of years. Here's the last five times we've asked it, percent supporting a Palestinian state, it's been kind up and down, but our most recent asking -- we just finished our new CNN-USA Today Poll -- 58 percent of Americans say that sounds like a good idea, so a clear majority there.
But, Carol, as I had mentioned, we've got that pessimism that this is going to lead to peace. We go all the way back to Jimmy Carter even. Peace in the Middle East, peace in the Middle East, Americans just haven't seen it. That's probably where this is coming from. Just 32 percent say they think this week's summit will lead to significant progress to peace. Of course, we'll all have to wait and see what happens -- Carol. COSTELLO: Understandable why people would be a little cynical about that.
All morning long we've been talking about the search for weapons of mass destruction. Does the public feel deceived that none have been found as of yet?
NEWPORT: Not as much as might be imagined. This is kind of in the eye of the beholder. I think the Bush administration is getting a pass from the American public so far. This was the question: "Intentionally mislead." Those are the two words we used. Did the Bush administration intentionally mislead everybody about weapons? Thirty-one percent of Americans say, yes; that's two-thirds who say no.
Now, the 31 percent you might think is a fairly big number, but all in all as these things go, the majority you can see, Carol, saying no, they think they didn't. And, in fact, Americans say the war with Iraq was justified, Carol, even if no weapons are found.
COSTELLO: So, probably this has not hurt President Bush's credibility with the public.
NEWPORT: I don't think it's hurt his credibility, but his job approval rating is beginning to settle back down. It's inevitable. The fascinating pattern we've seen, this is his whole administration, Carol, the big jump up after 9/11, then a descent down into the 50s, then the jump up when the Iraq war started.
Now, if you can see on the far right side, his job approval rating is starting to come back down again. Now, it's 64 percent, down from 70, 71 percent as the war was going on a few months ago. I think it will probably come back down in the 50-percent range -- that's his job approval rating -- before too long.
COSTELLO: All right, Frank Newport, thanks as always.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired June 3, 2003 - 06:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now to President Bush's diplomatic push for peace in the Middle East. Mr. Bush is meeting now with Arab leaders in Egypt, hoping to pick up support for the U.S.-backed road map for Israeli-Palestinian peace. The president has reaffirmed his commitment to stay personally involved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The first message is, I will dedicate the time and energy to move the process forward, and I think we'll make some progress. I know we're making progress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Tomorrow, Mr. Bush will travel to Jordan for meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas.
So, how important is this road map to peace for most Americans? We've asked Gallup Poll editor-in-chief Frank Newport to find out for us. He's here live now with the new numbers this morning.
Good morning -- Frank.
FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.
Here's how I would summarize it: The American public is all favor of the road map for peace and what President Bush is doing there, but they're skeptical that it's going to lead to peace, at least in the short run.
A key point of the road map, of course, is the ultimate creation of an independent Palestinian state. We've actually tracked the American public's opinion about that over a number of years. Here's the last five times we've asked it, percent supporting a Palestinian state, it's been kind up and down, but our most recent asking -- we just finished our new CNN-USA Today Poll -- 58 percent of Americans say that sounds like a good idea, so a clear majority there.
But, Carol, as I had mentioned, we've got that pessimism that this is going to lead to peace. We go all the way back to Jimmy Carter even. Peace in the Middle East, peace in the Middle East, Americans just haven't seen it. That's probably where this is coming from. Just 32 percent say they think this week's summit will lead to significant progress to peace. Of course, we'll all have to wait and see what happens -- Carol. COSTELLO: Understandable why people would be a little cynical about that.
All morning long we've been talking about the search for weapons of mass destruction. Does the public feel deceived that none have been found as of yet?
NEWPORT: Not as much as might be imagined. This is kind of in the eye of the beholder. I think the Bush administration is getting a pass from the American public so far. This was the question: "Intentionally mislead." Those are the two words we used. Did the Bush administration intentionally mislead everybody about weapons? Thirty-one percent of Americans say, yes; that's two-thirds who say no.
Now, the 31 percent you might think is a fairly big number, but all in all as these things go, the majority you can see, Carol, saying no, they think they didn't. And, in fact, Americans say the war with Iraq was justified, Carol, even if no weapons are found.
COSTELLO: So, probably this has not hurt President Bush's credibility with the public.
NEWPORT: I don't think it's hurt his credibility, but his job approval rating is beginning to settle back down. It's inevitable. The fascinating pattern we've seen, this is his whole administration, Carol, the big jump up after 9/11, then a descent down into the 50s, then the jump up when the Iraq war started.
Now, if you can see on the far right side, his job approval rating is starting to come back down again. Now, it's 64 percent, down from 70, 71 percent as the war was going on a few months ago. I think it will probably come back down in the 50-percent range -- that's his job approval rating -- before too long.
COSTELLO: All right, Frank Newport, thanks as always.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
