The majority of Americans no longer believe that there’s a link between the Iraq War and the U.S.’s so-called “war on terror”, despite President Bush’s insistence that the two are closely related, a New York Times/ CBS News poll shows.
51% of those polled said the war in Iraq wasn’t related to the “war on terrorism”, according to the survey.
The findings contradicted with polls taken in 2002 and early 2003, when a majority of Americans believed that the two wars were linked, The New York Times reported.
As recently as June, public opinion was even split, with 41% on both sides of the divide. Now only 32% consider Iraq to be a major part of the “war on terror”, the newspaper said.
The poll also showed that 45% believe that the Bush administration had focused too heavily on Iraq, instead of concentrating on the fight against terrorism.
It also found that 51% consider the U.S. invasion of Iraq a mistake, up from 48% in July, the Times said.
Bush’s approval ratings remained unchanged at 36%. Support for the American President has dwindled due to the unpopular war in Iraq, where more than 2,615 U.S. troops died.
As recently as Monday, Bush tried to defend the Iraq War as crucial to preventing more terror attacks on the U.S.
"If you believe that the job of the federal government is to secure this country, it's really important for you to understand that success in Iraq is part of securing the country," Bush said during a news conference.
The lack of support for the Iraq War adds to the pressure of the Republicans, who are worried over their party’s chances in the November midterm elections in which Democrats are seeking to seize control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.
* Iraq violence kills 16
Despite U.S. claims that progress was being made to improve security in Iraq, a series of attacks hit different parts of the war-country on Thursday, killing scores of people, including three U.S. soldiers, and wounding several others, according to the Associated Press news agency.
More than 13 Iraqis, including civilians, soldiers and police, have been killed in bombings and shootings across Iraq, officials said.
One of the three U.S. soldiers was hit by small-arms fire, another was killed by a roadside bombing, and the third died in an exchange of fire, the U.S. army said.
Thursday’s killings came despite claims by U.S. officials that a new security operation to curb violence in Iraq is producing results.
"I think that there's been great progress in the security front here recently in Baghdad," said Gen. John Abizaid, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East.
Communal bloodshed has gripped Iraq following the Feb. 22 bombing of a major Shia mosque in the town of Samarra, north of Baghdad.
Sectarian violence claimed the lives of more than 3,500 Iraqis last month alone, making it the deadliest month since the U.S. invasion and triggering fears of an all-out civil war.
51% of those polled said the war in Iraq wasn’t related to the “war on terrorism”, according to the survey.
The findings contradicted with polls taken in 2002 and early 2003, when a majority of Americans believed that the two wars were linked, The New York Times reported.
As recently as June, public opinion was even split, with 41% on both sides of the divide. Now only 32% consider Iraq to be a major part of the “war on terror”, the newspaper said.
The poll also showed that 45% believe that the Bush administration had focused too heavily on Iraq, instead of concentrating on the fight against terrorism.
It also found that 51% consider the U.S. invasion of Iraq a mistake, up from 48% in July, the Times said.
Bush’s approval ratings remained unchanged at 36%. Support for the American President has dwindled due to the unpopular war in Iraq, where more than 2,615 U.S. troops died.
As recently as Monday, Bush tried to defend the Iraq War as crucial to preventing more terror attacks on the U.S.
"If you believe that the job of the federal government is to secure this country, it's really important for you to understand that success in Iraq is part of securing the country," Bush said during a news conference.
The lack of support for the Iraq War adds to the pressure of the Republicans, who are worried over their party’s chances in the November midterm elections in which Democrats are seeking to seize control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.
* Iraq violence kills 16
Despite U.S. claims that progress was being made to improve security in Iraq, a series of attacks hit different parts of the war-country on Thursday, killing scores of people, including three U.S. soldiers, and wounding several others, according to the Associated Press news agency.
More than 13 Iraqis, including civilians, soldiers and police, have been killed in bombings and shootings across Iraq, officials said.
One of the three U.S. soldiers was hit by small-arms fire, another was killed by a roadside bombing, and the third died in an exchange of fire, the U.S. army said.
Thursday’s killings came despite claims by U.S. officials that a new security operation to curb violence in Iraq is producing results.
"I think that there's been great progress in the security front here recently in Baghdad," said Gen. John Abizaid, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East.
Communal bloodshed has gripped Iraq following the Feb. 22 bombing of a major Shia mosque in the town of Samarra, north of Baghdad.
Sectarian violence claimed the lives of more than 3,500 Iraqis last month alone, making it the deadliest month since the U.S. invasion and triggering fears of an all-out civil war.
