CHICAGO - US public support for the Iraq war has declined steadily in the two years since the US military marched into Baghdad, but few Americans want to pull out troops any time soon.
And while a greater number of Americans disapprove of President George W. Bushs handling of the war, polls show that a growing number are optimistic that stability will come to the war-ravaged country.
"The public takes a nuanced view," said Carroll Doherty, editor of the Pew Research Center. "In spite of these terrible things that have happened, theres a sense that it would be worse to withdraw."
Americans are divided on whether Bush was right to order the invasion of Iraq on March 20, 2003, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in February among 1,502 Americans.
In May, 2003, 74 percent said they thought the use of force was the right decision and 93 percent of those surveyed believed the military effort was going well. Now, just 54 percent said they think the military effort is going well.
According to a Washington Post/ABC television poll released this week, 53 percent believe the war was not worth fighting, compared to 45 percent who believe the war was justified.
The lack of a significant protest movement and Bush's reelection in November shows that the American public is willing to support a long-term war that involves relatively heavy casualties but prefers to do so under a "strong" leader, Doherty said.
"The more relevant (question) today is not the decision, but what do we do now," Doherty said.
Just 17 percent of Americans now believe that US troops will be able to leave Iraq within the year, according to Pew. More than half expect troops to stay at least two more years.
A self-proclaimed anarchist, Steve Albertson has been opposed to the war from the start. But after attending a few "discouraging" anti-war rallies, the 25-year-old aspiring film maker has limited his protests to a sub-plot in his latest project.
"Its a feeling of helplessness," he said, explaining that he does not think the Bush administration will be swayed by opposing views.
And even though he has seen a childhood friend come home with a busted leg after his Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Albertson does not think the US should withdraw its troops any time soon.
"It wasnt a good idea to go there, but it would be an even worse idea to leave," he said.
While Bushs approval ratings for his handling of Iraq have sunk, his tough stance with the war on terrorism has won him support in unexpected places.
A lifelong Democrat, Eileen Locniskar is not usually a supporter of Bushs policies. But she thinks the war in Iraq is ultimately making the world a better place.
"Its a good thing because he (Saddam Hussein) was a tyrant," she said, adding that she believes the example the United States has set with Iraq has helped encourage democratic developments elsewhere.
The 62-year-old retiree is even willing to forgive Bush for failing to find weapons of mass destruction. Saddam was dangerous, she said, and after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 America cannot afford to take risks.
The real problem has been a lack of adequate planning and the Bush administrations failure to get other countries involved in the war effort, she said. And those early errors may have crippled the administration when it comes to winning the peace.
"We wont know the outcome for another 10 or 15 years," Locniskar said. "Its been two years but were far from out of there."

03/18/2005 02:06 GMT