[NYTr] Australians Turn Against Iraq War

[nytr at olm.blythe-systems.com]

The Australian - December 27, 2004
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11789154%255E601,00.html

Iraq 'wasn't worth it'

by Steve Lewis, Chief political reporter

A GROWING number of Australians believe the war in Iraq was not worth the
bloodshed, with opposition hardening as the US-led coalition of the willing
struggles to overcome stiff resistance from insurgents.

But there is equally strong backing for Australian troops to stay the course
and assist in Iraq's stuttering transition towards democracy.

Amid continuing carnage in strife-torn Iraq  and just days after a suicide
bomber killed 22 people, including 19 US soldiers, near Mosul a clear
majority of Australians now believe last year's invasion was not worth the
effort.

Just 32 per cent of the community believe John Howard's decision to send
troops into Iraq was justified, according to a Newspoll conducted
exclusively for The Australian.

This represents a steep fall from the 46 per cent surveyed in February who
believed Australia's war effort was justified.

Almost 60 per cent now believe it was not worth Australia joining last
year's invasion of Iraq. But despite the community's growing dissatisfaction
with the war, the Government remains committed to maintaining Australia's
military presence in Iraq. The Prime Minister has yet to put a timeframe on
withdrawing Australia's 900-strong contingent from the Persian Gulf.

But Mark Latham's pledge to bring the troops home by Christmas failed to
resonate with most voters. Just 33 per cent of those surveyed believe
Australian troops should come home immediately, compared with 45 per cent
who believe they should remain as long as necessary.

And 18 per cent want to see the Government withdraw troops in the second
half of next year.

The Iraq war continues to divide Australia's political parties. Labor's
acting leader Jenny Macklin said the Opposition remained determined to see
troops home "as soon as possible and we'll be asking the Howard Government
to articulate its own exit strategy for Iraq".

She said Australia's priority should be to assist the Iraqi people through
"economic reconstruction and humanitarian aid" rather than military support.

The Newspoll survey comes as Iraq prepares for its first democratic election
since Saddam Hussein came to power, due to be held on January 30.

A vast majority of Labor voters, 73 per cent, now believe it was not worth
going into Iraq, compared with 39 per cent of Coalition supporters. Half of
all Coalition voters, however, believe Mr Howard's decision to go to war was
justified, compared with just 21 per cent of Labor voters.

But the latest figure represents a softening in support since earlier in the
year, when 60 per cent of Coalition voters thought it was worth going to
war. Almost 70 per cent of Coalition supporters believe Australia should
stay the course in Iraq. By contrast, just 30 per cent of Labor voters share
this view.

The falling support for the Iraq war follows a similar slump in support in
the US.

A US opinion poll last week found 56 per cent of Americans surveyed  a new
high said the war was not worth it.