UNITED STATES: Most think Iraq war contributed to Katrina disaster

A majority of US residents believe that the US war in Iraq contributed to the slow response by the federal government to last month's hurricane disaster in New Orleans and other Gulf coast areas, according to a poll by CBS TV News. The poll, reported on September 12, found that 57% of respondents believe the fact that some National Guard troops and material are currently in Iraq slowed down the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina and the flooding of New Orleans. The poll found that 69% of respondents think reduced government spending on New Orleans' levee system, in part to fund the rising costs of the US war in Iraq, was one of the reasons the flooding was so severe. Forty-eight per cent believe help was slow to come because the people left in New Orleans after the hurricane and flooding were mostly African American and poor. According to a poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates published in Newsweek on September 13, 49% of respondents believe the US was wrong in taking military action against Iraq two years ago while 46% think it was right to invade Iraq. Forty-five per cent believe that US troops in Iraq should be withdrawn immediately or in less than 12 months, 19% believe they should be withdrawn in one to two years, while 25% believe that they should stay "as long as it takes".

From Green Left Weekly, September 21, 2005.

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From GLW issue 643