Iraq Fades From View For Many Americans

Poll Shows Only 28 Percent Know That Nearly 4,000 U.S. Troops Have Been Killed

(AP)  Fewer people know how many U.S. troops have died in the war in Iraq, even as public attention to the conflict has gradually diminished, a poll showed Wednesday.

Only 28 percent correctly said that about 4,000 Americans have died in the war, according to a survey by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center.

That's down from last August, when 54 percent gave the accurate casualty figure, which was about 3,500 dead at the time. In previous Pew surveys dating to 2004, about half have correctly given the rough figure for the approximate number of deaths at the time.

In the new poll, around a third said about 3,000 U.S. troops have died while about one in 10 said 2,000 deaths. Fewer overestimated the number of casualties: about a quarter put the figure close to 5,000.

Exit polls of voters in presidential primaries and many national surveys have shown the economy has displaced the war in recent weeks as the public's choice as the nation's top problem.

Iraq was the most avidly followed news story for most of the first half of 2007, but it has not been the most closely watched story in any week since mid-October, according to a Pew survey of people's interest in the news. The portion of news stories on the war has dropped in recent months as well, according to a study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, a nonpartisan group that evaluates news coverage.

The Pew poll was conducted from Feb. 28-March 2 and involved telephone interviews with 1,003 adults. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

[guidosfoot]

Get it right, dolts. The proof of the pudding is in the eating (or the tasting). Either is more accurate than you''ll ever be. Dumbbells.

[lovegetpeace]

It incredible how short the Americans'' short-term memory is. I would not be surprised if, again, 88% of Americans approved Bush''s decision to invade Iran before Nov-2008 just like 88% approved of the invasion of Iraq the day after Bush announced his decision on national TV.

[prinzowhales]

America is fulfilling its God-given directive to make sure that Iraq''s puppies will never have a moments reprieve! Kill them all! Throw them off a cliff! And, if ten year old girls don''t know what''s good for them, they stop signaling jihadis to attack our convoys...but why the jihadis can''t see a deuce-and-a-half but can see a ten year old girl is a military mystery.

Puppies and ten year old girls will never defeat America!! Let''s get that straight--we can and will kick their arses!! Go America!! Don''t let the Libs steal our victories over the puppies and children!!

Our new asymetric war strategy will deprive the terrorists of their children and puppies...this will make others think twice before they try to control their own resources. Go America!!

[armydog2]

Only 28% knew how many American Soldiers have died in this war. Only 28% of the population has been personally touched and sacrificed a loved one or was seperated from a loved one and went through a year of hell during a deployment. how many of you war supporters have sacrificed a thing for bush and his war? you just sit back and sound off and don''t give a *** about how many have died and been wounded and scarred physically and emotionally by this war. You claim to Support the Troops,you morons don''t have a clue!

[prinzowhales]

Free Trade and War has done so much for America! We have the 37th best health care system in the world!! Take that Zambia and South Africa...just goes to show you what America can do when it spends more on health care than any other nation in the world! We are 29th in life expectancy!

And we spend more on education than most other nations...and in 12 years we are able to achieve 8th grade reading levels...for those who stay in school. Maybe, in a few hundred years 60% of Americans will be able to find Iraq on the map! Think of that!

[prinzowhales]

When the War for Resources is expanded to Iran, with your help, then we can deal with those pesky Liberal in Venezuela that Pat Robertson, the erstwhile ''Christian'' mullah, who wanted to "take out" Chavez (Being an Evangelical, it is unclear whether he wanted him killed or if he simply wanted to wine and dine him before practicing that special love that dare not speak its name.) This will help increase the price of oil greatly and all true Americans should get behind this war! We have not enriched the oil companies and arms manufacturers enough! If America''s fat children are going to have to fight in the desert...we need them to have a more humid place for them...we can move them from the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Mexico so they''ll never need R&R.

[prinzowhales]

Enjoy your war...you''ve been educated to support it...your children will soon be serving in it as soon as you finish voting for the Demopublican War Pig of the Oligarchy''s choice and the draft bill makes it through Congress.

It is imperative that we have more flag waving pro-war baboons to convince Bush to attack Iraq! Oil needs to reach its natural market price of $250 a barrel and a new war in the Gulf will help achieve this goal.

We need more foreclosures! We need more unemployment! We need to export more jobs--just as the President said! Vote Demopublican and lets get the war on so we can achieve all of these goals ''for the children''!! Homelessness builds character!!

[rowdytexan2]

We will be there for a long time, we have bases there to launch other attacks on other nations and kill any terrorists that mess with us. Only a stupid-liberal would think that just be cause a war is won, all the troops go home. not the case. For example, South Korea, Berlin Germany, Japan, etc. We need a few hundred thousand to mop up and keep the peice, of Iraq.


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Posted by JoeCoolSwat at 01:34 PM : Mar 13, 2008

Who the hell needs bases with which to launch other wars? There are no mop up operations. As soon as we get out of Iraq and stop trying to steal their resources, there''ll not need to be any terrorism in Iraq.

[keithle1]

Everybody is sick of it. Numb. But you can''t avoid it. Unless you live in a treehouse in the Alaskan woods. Every day, we get the bad news on the Web, papers, TV, radio, etc. The endless drum beat of misery. Once in a rare while, something good happens.

We have won the war in Iraq? Really? Oh wow. Hmm... I would never have guessed if you didn''t tell me.

[mrmazerati]

The troops are leaving. End of story. They are being voted back home in November. Deal with it.

[sigotratando]

I had mentioned this article to a friend of mine who thought maybe this was "fatigue", like when there is a sudden effort for donations, we get "giving fatigue" or something.

I''m not sure that''s entirely the case. I''m thinking more along the lines of "status quo" where apathy manifests as lack of interest.

[joecoolswat]

We will be there for a long time, we have bases there to launch other attacks on other nations and kill any terrorists that mess with us. Only a stupid-liberal would think that just be cause a war is won, all the troops go home. not the case. For example, South Korea, Berlin Germany, Japan, etc. We need a few hundred thousand to mop up and keep the peice, of Iraq.

[ljb6599]

JoeCoolSwat...If the Irag War is won why are there still 140,000 soldiers still there and some are still getting killed??

[mrmazerati]

Yes!! The war is now won in Iraq. Thank you all for playing. We''ll see you at the next war.

[joecoolswat]

He Veteran 71, you have got to be kidding me. The reason the supreme court had to step in, is because Al Gore would not concede defeat and kept going on and on, recounting until it turned out in his favor. EXCUSE US for defending our country. There will be hell to pay for anyone who messes with the USA. (as long as we continue have a ***-kicking Republican as president)

[joecoolswat]

For all the know-nothing, bush-hating, stupid-liberals, Sorry, but the war is now won in Iraq. Democrats lost in their effort to undermine the war. We now have excellent bases in Iraq to launch future attacks against any other regime who doesn''t listen.

[mrmazerati]

I would like to declare that we are now VICTORIOUS in Iraq. Saddam: dead. WMD: nonexistent. Elections: check.

We did it, folks, and we can all be proud! Thanks for all your hard work and we''ll see you at the party!

[blackwater66-2009]

We are still here for all of you ????

[mrmazerati]

Guys, I appreciate all the sprit de corps, but the fact is, these conflicts almost always go out with a sigh, not a bang. A drawdown is inevitable- you can''t keep shoving 12 billion a month into something infinitely. It just doesn''t work. And if you want a victory, well, then why not just call it a victory when it''s over? Works just the same as calling it anything else and everybody''s happy.

[armydog2]

don''t count on it hillary