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Americans Concerned Over State of the Union Controversy?

Aired July 15, 2003 - 15:07   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.


JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: How is the second-guessing about Iraq policy affecting public opinion?
Let's check in now with our Frank Newport, who is the editor in chief of the Gallup Poll.

Frank, first of all, you have, at the White House, spokesman Ari Fleischer saying all this second-guessing about those 16 words in the State of the Union is a bunch of bull, it's way overdone. Is this affecting Americans?

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR IN CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: Frenzy was the word he used, the media frenzy.

It is. There is no question about it that the American public is cognizant of the fact that things aren't going as well as might have been expected in Iraq. Measures in a lot of the polling that's come out that asks American how well it's going, things along those lines have certainly come down.

One measure that we just finished in our last poll, I think, however, is important. Some people have used the Q word -- that's the quagmire word -- to try to describe what's happened. So we went back in our Gallup polling annals. That question Gallup asked during Vietnam, was it a mistake to have sent U.S. troops to Vietnam? We have asked it several times about Iraq now. We asked it in the Persian Gulf War. And that's what we have up here.

On the left-hand side there, in the summer of '91, you see 15 percent of Americans said it had been a mistake. Now, by comparison, that number is twice as high this summer; 27 percent say the current Iraq involvement was a mistake. So it is higher, Judy, than it was back in 1991 at 27 percent. But keep in mind, you have still got seven out of 10 Americans who say, no, the involvement in Iraq was OK. It wasn't a mistake, as far as they're concerned.

WOODRUFF: Now, Frank, at the same time all this Iraq business is going on, we know the Bush administration is looking hard at whether to send U.S. peacekeeping troops to the African country of Liberia. It is looking that that likely will happen. What are Americans saying about that?

NEWPORT: Well, it is very important in polling, looking at these results, to be specific on how you let Americans know would what happen. Most Americans don't know a lot about Liberia, so they listen carefully to the cues in the question when you ask them about sending troops there. Our questions stress that U.S. troops would be sent as part of an international peacekeeping force in Liberia. And when you phrase it that way, these are the results; 57 percent of Americans approve. Some other polling questions have been a little harsher, talking about -- using the words war in there and specific numbers of troops and don't get as high a percent. But I think you would have a majority clearly supporting that idea, if the administration decides to send the troops to Liberia.

WOODRUFF: Frank, let me turn you to a completely different domestic question. And that is the economy, a number of corporations releasing earnings reports this week. What are people saying about how they feel the economy is doing?

NEWPORT: Judy, that's an excellent question, because, despite all of the attention from the media on Iraq and international affairs, it's the economy underneath it all that Americans remain most concerned about. This is our July most-important-problem question. We asked people, off the top of your head, what is the biggest problem facing the country? And look at the results: economy, 27; unemployment , 13. Things like Iraq and terrorism and down there in single digits.

So you put it together, underneath it all, the public very concerned about the economy, I think, Judy, much more so than they are about what is happening internationally.

WOODRUFF: So is that hurting the president?

NEWPORT: Well, 62 percent, that's the number. Some job approval statistics which have come out with some polling have his overall approval a little lower than that. But our Gallup numbers have been fairly steady over the last two or three or four weeks, our CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll; 62 percent basic job approval. That is still robust. Even a 59, 58 is robust.

Handling Iraq, that is lower, at 58 percent. Handling the economy, Bush's rating is still another 10 points lower, down there at 48 percent. So, clearly, as I've been saying, the economy is not Bush's strength, as far as the public is concerned. They also tell us they want him to focus on it more. So, clearly, there is some advice coming from the public to the administration, Judy, to look after the economy.

WOODRUFF: Where did we hear that before? It wouldn't be the first election where the economy was a big issue.

All right, Frank, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

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 July 15, 2003 - 15:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: How is the second-guessing about Iraq policy affecting public opinion?
Let's check in now with our Frank Newport, who is the editor in chief of the Gallup Poll.

Frank, first of all, you have, at the White House, spokesman Ari Fleischer saying all this second-guessing about those 16 words in the State of the Union is a bunch of bull, it's way overdone. Is this affecting Americans?

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR IN CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: Frenzy was the word he used, the media frenzy.

It is. There is no question about it that the American public is cognizant of the fact that things aren't going as well as might have been expected in Iraq. Measures in a lot of the polling that's come out that asks American how well it's going, things along those lines have certainly come down.

One measure that we just finished in our last poll, I think, however, is important. Some people have used the Q word -- that's the quagmire word -- to try to describe what's happened. So we went back in our Gallup polling annals. That question Gallup asked during Vietnam, was it a mistake to have sent U.S. troops to Vietnam? We have asked it several times about Iraq now. We asked it in the Persian Gulf War. And that's what we have up here.

On the left-hand side there, in the summer of '91, you see 15 percent of Americans said it had been a mistake. Now, by comparison, that number is twice as high this summer; 27 percent say the current Iraq involvement was a mistake. So it is higher, Judy, than it was back in 1991 at 27 percent. But keep in mind, you have still got seven out of 10 Americans who say, no, the involvement in Iraq was OK. It wasn't a mistake, as far as they're concerned.

WOODRUFF: Now, Frank, at the same time all this Iraq business is going on, we know the Bush administration is looking hard at whether to send U.S. peacekeeping troops to the African country of Liberia. It is looking that that likely will happen. What are Americans saying about that?

NEWPORT: Well, it is very important in polling, looking at these results, to be specific on how you let Americans know would what happen. Most Americans don't know a lot about Liberia, so they listen carefully to the cues in the question when you ask them about sending troops there. Our questions stress that U.S. troops would be sent as part of an international peacekeeping force in Liberia. And when you phrase it that way, these are the results; 57 percent of Americans approve. Some other polling questions have been a little harsher, talking about -- using the words war in there and specific numbers of troops and don't get as high a percent. But I think you would have a majority clearly supporting that idea, if the administration decides to send the troops to Liberia.

WOODRUFF: Frank, let me turn you to a completely different domestic question. And that is the economy, a number of corporations releasing earnings reports this week. What are people saying about how they feel the economy is doing?

NEWPORT: Judy, that's an excellent question, because, despite all of the attention from the media on Iraq and international affairs, it's the economy underneath it all that Americans remain most concerned about. This is our July most-important-problem question. We asked people, off the top of your head, what is the biggest problem facing the country? And look at the results: economy, 27; unemployment , 13. Things like Iraq and terrorism and down there in single digits.

So you put it together, underneath it all, the public very concerned about the economy, I think, Judy, much more so than they are about what is happening internationally.

WOODRUFF: So is that hurting the president?

NEWPORT: Well, 62 percent, that's the number. Some job approval statistics which have come out with some polling have his overall approval a little lower than that. But our Gallup numbers have been fairly steady over the last two or three or four weeks, our CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll; 62 percent basic job approval. That is still robust. Even a 59, 58 is robust.

Handling Iraq, that is lower, at 58 percent. Handling the economy, Bush's rating is still another 10 points lower, down there at 48 percent. So, clearly, as I've been saying, the economy is not Bush's strength, as far as the public is concerned. They also tell us they want him to focus on it more. So, clearly, there is some advice coming from the public to the administration, Judy, to look after the economy.

WOODRUFF: Where did we hear that before? It wouldn't be the first election where the economy was a big issue.

All right, Frank, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com