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CNN Live At Daybreak
America's Voice: Bush, Iraq
Aired October 28, 2003 - 06:39 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: There has been a significant change in Americans' attitudes since the fall of Baghdad.
Gallup Poll editor-in-chief Frank Newport has been crunching the numbers for us.
And, Frank, are Americans getting disillusioned with the Iraq situation? Is that the sentiment and the true representative sample?
FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Well, it is a true representative sample, Heidi. And indeed the big change, of course, has come from April and May. When the war was over, Bush was on the aircraft carrier at the end of major combat. Since then, all of our numbers have shown more and more skepticism on the part of the American public about Iraq, although slightly more than half still say it was worth it, and that's a key indicator.
Let me give you one other example: Rate the U.S. handling of the situation since the end of the war in Iraq. You can see how ebullient Americans were back in April -- 80 percent said they approved of how U.S. forces were handling the situation. Now, we're down to slightly below 50 percent -- 47 said they approved, 50 dont approve. And that's kind of symptomatic of a lot of the other data that we've looked at about how Americans are reacting to Iraq.
I should point out, these data, through Sunday night, may not even reflect the full impact of the news we've been hearing about 35 people killed yesterday.
Now, let me show you one other thing: Bush job approval. Heidi, it's hovering there right at above the 50 percent level. It has dropped to 50. Our latest reading: 53 percent. That's a key indicator. For an incumbent you want it to be above 50 percent. And right now it's hovering right there slightly above that point.
COLLINS: Yes, and so, you bring up the point, then. What sort of impact do all of these numbers have on the 2004 election, particularly in talking about Iraq here?
NEWPORT: Well, it's interesting. NFR, no front runner, in anything we look at, is how I look at the race right now. Would you vote for Bush or the Democratic candidate? And we dont know who that will be. Bush at one point was ahead by more than 10 points in August. Now, too close to call -- 46 to 43, Bush above the unnamed Democrat.
Who will the Democrat be, Heidi? Well, we asked registered Democrats nationally -- this isn't New Hampshire or Iowa, this is nationally -- who you want to be the leader, Howard Dean now ahead by one point. Clark had been as high as 21 -- retired General Wesley Clark -- at 22 percent. So, he's come down some.
But basically, look at these numbers, Heidi. Really, there is no front runner. All of these people are within statistical distance of one another at this point.
COLLINS: They sure are. Frank Newport, thank you so very much for breaking all of that down for us. We appreciate it this morning.
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 October 28, 2003 - 06:39 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: There has been a significant change in Americans' attitudes since the fall of Baghdad.
Gallup Poll editor-in-chief Frank Newport has been crunching the numbers for us.
And, Frank, are Americans getting disillusioned with the Iraq situation? Is that the sentiment and the true representative sample?
FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Well, it is a true representative sample, Heidi. And indeed the big change, of course, has come from April and May. When the war was over, Bush was on the aircraft carrier at the end of major combat. Since then, all of our numbers have shown more and more skepticism on the part of the American public about Iraq, although slightly more than half still say it was worth it, and that's a key indicator.
Let me give you one other example: Rate the U.S. handling of the situation since the end of the war in Iraq. You can see how ebullient Americans were back in April -- 80 percent said they approved of how U.S. forces were handling the situation. Now, we're down to slightly below 50 percent -- 47 said they approved, 50 dont approve. And that's kind of symptomatic of a lot of the other data that we've looked at about how Americans are reacting to Iraq.
I should point out, these data, through Sunday night, may not even reflect the full impact of the news we've been hearing about 35 people killed yesterday.
Now, let me show you one other thing: Bush job approval. Heidi, it's hovering there right at above the 50 percent level. It has dropped to 50. Our latest reading: 53 percent. That's a key indicator. For an incumbent you want it to be above 50 percent. And right now it's hovering right there slightly above that point.
COLLINS: Yes, and so, you bring up the point, then. What sort of impact do all of these numbers have on the 2004 election, particularly in talking about Iraq here?
NEWPORT: Well, it's interesting. NFR, no front runner, in anything we look at, is how I look at the race right now. Would you vote for Bush or the Democratic candidate? And we dont know who that will be. Bush at one point was ahead by more than 10 points in August. Now, too close to call -- 46 to 43, Bush above the unnamed Democrat.
Who will the Democrat be, Heidi? Well, we asked registered Democrats nationally -- this isn't New Hampshire or Iowa, this is nationally -- who you want to be the leader, Howard Dean now ahead by one point. Clark had been as high as 21 -- retired General Wesley Clark -- at 22 percent. So, he's come down some.
But basically, look at these numbers, Heidi. Really, there is no front runner. All of these people are within statistical distance of one another at this point.
COLLINS: They sure are. Frank Newport, thank you so very much for breaking all of that down for us. We appreciate it this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
