AP Poll: 90 percent back right to protest war

The pro-war Bush supporters should think twice when they say anti-war critics are un-American and disrespectful to the troops.

From Yahoo News

An overwhelming number of people say critics of the Iraq war should be free to voice their objections — a rare example of widespread agreement about a conflict that has divided the nation along partisan lines.

Nearly three weeks after a grieving California mother named Cindy Sheehan started her anti-war protest near President Bush's Texas ranch, nine of 10 people surveyed in an AP-Ipsos poll say it's OK for war opponents to publicly share their concerns about the conflict.

"Part of the Constitution is the First Amendment," said Mike Malone, a salesman from Odessa, Fla. "We have the right to disagree with the government."

With the U.S. death toll in Iraq climbing past 1,870 with an especially bloody August, the public's opinion of the Bush administration's handling of the war has been eroding over the past two years.

Overall attitudes about the war — while negative — haven't changed dramatically through the summer and a solid majority, 60 percent, want U.S. troops to stick it out until Iraq is stable.

The poll found that most people disapprove of the Bush administration's conduct of the war and think the war was a mistake. Half believe it has increased the threat of terrorism. Democrats overwhelmingly question the president's policies, while Republicans overwhelmingly support them.

Although Cindy Sheehan has been ripped apart by the wingnut talking heads such as O'Reilly, Hannity, Drudge, and Malkin, it's nice to see that not everyone is not drinking the koolaid and respect what Sheehan is doing.

Many people believe that this war was a mistake from the very beginning and that we were lied to about the reasons we went to war. Bush and Co lied to the American people when they said there was an Iraq-9-11 connection, that Iraq had WMDs, and smeared anybody who wasn't on their team (e.g. Joe Wilson/Valerie Plame). They didn't equip the troops with the armour they needed (and they still don't have that armour), approved torture techniques learned at Camp Gitmo, did not properly planned for a post-war Iraq, underestimated the insurgency, can not account for 8 billion dollars that was given to Paul Bremmer and the Coailtion.

Oh, did I say that we still haven't caught the REAL mastermind of 9-11, Bin Laden? Remember him?

The reasoning for the US bring in Iraq has changed with the seasons. First, it's WMD, next its to remove an evil dictator, then it's to rebuild a nation (I thought BUsh wan't going to be in the nation bulding business) and now it's to provide fredom to the Iraqis (although their the ones being blown up the most).

Sheehan has brought the war back on the front page and back in to the people's minds and it's about time. As long as the neo-cons continue to insist that there is no exit strategy, the anti-war movement will demand that the troops be brought home as soon as possible. They smear Sheehan because she represents many of us who think this war was a mistake and that we were lied to from the very beginning.

The pro-war crowd say the anti-war movement is un-American, I call it freedom of speech.