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Most Iraqis want U.S. out, poll shows
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By Cesar G. Soriano and Steven Komarow

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A solid majority of Iraqis support an immediate pullout of U.S. troops even in the face of greater danger, and only one in three now believe that the U.S.-led occupation is doing more good than harm, according to a new USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll.

The nationwide survey, the most comprehensive look to date at Iraqi attitudes toward the occupation, was conducted in late March and early April, before current hostilities in Fallujah and Najaf. Nearly 3,500 Iraqis of every religious and ethnic group were included. The margin of error was plus or minus two percentage points.

The poll shows that most continue to say the hardships suffered to depose Saddam Hussein were worth it. Nearly half say they and their families are better off than they were under Saddam. A strong majority say they are more free to worship and to speak.

While they acknowledge those benefits, however, Iraqis no longer see the presence of the American-led military as a plus. Asked whether they view the coalition as "liberators" or "occupiers," 71 percent of all respondents say "occupiers."

That figure reaches 81 percent if the separatist, pro-U.S. Kurdish minority in northern Iraq is not included. About 97 percent of Kurds surveyed say the invasion did more good than harm, and their pro-U.S. stance is obvious on other issues. The negative characterization among other Iraqis is as high among Shiite Muslims, who were oppressed by Saddam, as it is among Sunnis, who embraced him.

A powerful indicator of the growing negative attitude toward the Americans is found in two related questions: 53 percent say they would feel less secure without the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, but 57 percent say the foreign troops should leave anyway.

Interviews in Baghdad this week underscored the findings.

"I'm not ungrateful that they took away Saddam Hussein," said Salam Ahmed, 30, a Shiite businessman. "But the job is done. Thank you very much. See you later. Bye-bye.

"I would shoot ... right now."

Sabah Yeldo, a Christian who owns a liquor store, says American failures have left the capital with more crime and less-reliable services, including electricity. That is "making everybody look back and seriously consider having Saddam back again instead of the Americans."

Bearing the brunt of ill feeling: U.S. troops. They are viewed as uncaring, dangerous and lacking in respect for Iraq's people, religion and traditions.

The insurgents, by contrast, seem to be gaining broad acceptance, if not outright support. If Kurds, who make up about 13 percent of the poll, are taken out of the equation, more than half of Iraqis say killing U.S. troops can be justified in some cases. Attacks against U.S.-trained Iraqi police officers are strongly condemned.

The Bush administration portrays U.S. soldiers as liberators. But Iraqis see them as a threat, question their purpose and focus their anger on them.

"When they pass by on the street, we are curious, so we go out to look and they immediately point their gun at you," said Abbas Kadhum Muia, 24, who owns a bicycle shop in Sadr City, a Shiite slum of 2 million people that was strongly anti-Saddam and once friendly to Americans. "They don't care about other cars. They just hit cars on the road and keep going."

Except for the Kurds, such feelings are widely held. For example:

• Two-thirds say soldiers in the U.S.-led coalition make no attempt to keep ordinary Iraqis from being killed or wounded.

• Nearly 58 percent say soldiers conduct themselves badly or very badly.

• More than 60 percent say troops show disrespect for Iraqi people in searches of their homes, and 42 percent say U.S. forces have shown disrespect toward mosques.

• 46 percent say soldiers show a lack of respect for Iraqi women.

Overall, only 11 percent of Iraqis say coalition forces are trying hard to restore basic services such as electricity and clean drinking water.

The negative opinions of troop behavior rarely is based on direct contact. Instead, most Iraqis obtain their information from others. For about one-third, it's pan-Arabic television such as the al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya satellite news channels, which frequently show scenes of U.S. forces shooting into Iraqi neighborhoods. Few Iraqis trust Western networks.

More news is spread through that oldest delivery system: marketplace chatter. In the rumor mill, interviews indicate, every confrontation between Americans and Iraqis is portrayed as an assault on the Iraqi people.

The hostility reflected in the poll is a message the troops understand, said Marine Lance Cpl. Wes Monks of Springfield, Ore.

"They don't want us here," he said. "They want to rebuild their own country. We're trying to Americanize their life. You can't buy love."

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Split opinion on whether invasion was right thing to do
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WASHINGTON — Americans are evenly split on whether the invasion of Iraq was the right thing to do, a new poll shows.

Fewer than half, 47 percent, said taking military action in Iraq was the right thing to do, and about the same number, 46 percent, said the United States should have stayed out of the country, according to a CBS News-New York Times poll.

As recently as last month, 58 percent said the military action was right, and 37 percent said it was not. Six in 10 say the U.S. efforts in Iraq are going badly.

The poll of 1,042 adults was taken Friday through Tuesday and has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.