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U.S. rallying behind military
©New York Times, As they move from shock to fury, Americans are bracing for the United States to go to war, and they overwhelmingly say the nation should take military action against those responsible for the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll shows. That sentiment declines at the prospect that thousands of innocent civilians abroad could be killed. Still, most Americans support engagement by the military even under those circumstances. The crisis has spurred the public to put aside reservations about the leadership of President Bush and rally wholeheartedly behind the relatively new president and express confidence in his ability to guide the nation. His job approval rating has soared to 84 percent; just over a month ago, 50 percent said they approved of how Bush was handling his job. Americans say they are ready to alter their lifestyles, even sacrifice some liberties, for safety considerations. They say they would be willing to arrive three hours early for domestic airline flights to pass through heightened security and withstand long lines at public events and in public buildings to pass through metal detectors and inspections by guards. The public also supports changing the law to allow for the assassination of people in foreign countries who commit terrorist attacks. Although more than half the respondents said they did not think Arab-Americans were any more sympathetic toward terrorists than other Americans, the public is expecting a backlash against Arab-Americans, Muslims and immigrants from the Middle East. The telephone poll of 959 adults nationwide was conducted Thursday and Friday, as Americans were only beginning to digest the implications of the terrorist attacks and to ponder how the nation should respond. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The poll did not ask who people think is the enemy or what specific action they envision after Tuesday's attacks. But in follow-up interviews, many respondents in the poll said they backed military action, even if that meant American casualties. Describing herself as "angry and outraged," Joy Hess, 58, a library clerk in Medford, Ore., said: "I'm not talking about revenge, but justice. I have a son in the military and I know loss of life is a risk. But there is no other way to get across that we mean business." It is not a huge surprise that Bush faces the most critical chapter of his presidency with a surge in his popularity. His 11 predecessors enjoyed sharp increases in support in times of crisis. Seven in 10 Americans now say President Bush is a strong leader, including 55 percent of Democrats. That is his highest rating since he became president, up from 54 percent in June. In the follow-up interviews, several people said they were heartened that Bush had been turning to seasoned advisers. Robert Fye, 77, a retired Army officer from Scottsdale, Ariz., said: "As a Republican who voted for him, I haven't always agreed with him, but I think he's done a good job." Not everyone was so confident. "I need to wait and see how he will handle this as far as being our leader," said Rick Adler, 41, a court clerk in Mineola, N.Y.
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
