By: E&P Staff Almost exactly half of close family members of U.S. troops now call the Iraq war a "mistake," USA Today revealed today after analyzing several Gallup polls from recent months. Just over 50% disapprove of President Bush's job performance.
"They've maxed out on the troops. You've got guys who are over there on their fourth or fifth tours. It's ridiculous," says Jeanette Knowles, 40, of Mountain Home, Idaho, whose brother, Jeff, served a tour in Iraq with the Oregon National Guard.
Here is an excerpt from the USA Today report.
*
Military families are more supportive of the war than Americans without immediate family members in the military, the polls show. Among Americans without military relatives, 59% say the invasion was a mistake, compared with 49% of immediate family members.
The data on close relatives of troops were gleaned from four national polls between Sept. 7 and Dec. 2. The polls identified 548 people as wives, children, parents, siblings, grandparents or a close in-law of a servicemember. Among them are 301 people whose loved ones served in Iraq or Afghanistan....
"The numbers really aren't much of a surprise," says Joyce Raezer, executive director of the National Military Family Association. "They show that the military is in many ways a reflection of the country as a whole, not an isolated subculture, as some would portray it."
Bush considers families' support important, White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore says. "But he believes that it's important to continue to base his decisions on the advice he receives from commanders on the ground," she says.
More than 1.5 million servicemembers have been sent to Iraq or Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001, and Army combat tours last up to 15 months. Bush meets in private with grieving families, visits the wounded and frequently speaks to gatherings of military families.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here