Only 14 percent graded the president's work as "excellent"; 26.3 percent rated him "good," while 10.7 percent think he has done a "fair" job.

And while Bush likes to remind the world that "all options are on the table" when it comes to Iran, 41.1 percent of respondents reminded the president they would prefer diplomatic negotiations rather than a military confrontation with the Islamic republic (28.3 percent).

When asked where the United States should be directing most of its efforts in the war on terror, Iraq received 23 percent; Afghanistan came a close second with 22.7 percent; and Iran trailed in a distant third with 4.3 percent.

However, when asked which countries posed the greatest threat to the United States, 41.9 percent said Iran, 14 percent said North Korea, and Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, took third place at 7.9 percent.

When asked to identify on a scale of one to five how they view Iran as a threat (one being the least and five the most) one-third of respondents -- or 33.2 percent -- said Iran was "a great threat."

On the handling of the Iraq war, again, the president gets failing grades: 53.8 percent gave him poor marks, 24.2 think he has done a good job, 15.5 percent said his performance was fair, and only 6.3 percent say he has done an excellent job.

Regarding the question of a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq, 61.7 percent said American troops should only be withdrawn after achieving a certain goal. On the other hand, 32.2 percent want to see an immediate pullout from Iraq.

As for when the job in Iraq might be finished, 34.1 percent said in a little more than two years, but almost as many -- 33.2 percent -- say "never." Still, 49.7 percent agree that the Iraq war is part of the global war on terror; almost half -- 45.3 percent -- disagree.

Reacting to a plan by congressional Democrats to bring home the troops by next September, 40.2 percent were "very unfavorable," 26 percent were "somewhat unfavorable," and 20.8 percent were in favor.

On holding talks with Iran, 63.2 percent of respondents agree that the United States should talk to Iran regarding stability in Iraq; 22.8 percent disagree. When asked if they believe Iran may be providing military assistance to Iraq, 72.5 percent said yes; only 8 percent said no. At the same time, 55.7 percent of Americans believe Iran is directly involved in attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq.

If it was proven that Iran was supporting elements of the Iraqi insurgency, 36.7 percent of respondents said they would support U.S. military action against Iran, while 48.8 would not support military action.

When asked if the United States has the right to decide which nations can develop nuclear weapons, 15.5 percent strongly agreed, 27.3 percent somewhat agreed, and 52.7 percent were opposed. Rather, a great majority -- 78.9 percent -- said it is up to the international community to make such a decision. But 64.4 percent felt the United States has a responsibility to ensure that some countries have limits on their nuclear capabilities.

There is also concern about Iran's motivations for attempting to develop a nuclear program: 39 percent believe Iran would develop a weapon for its own military purposes, while 18 percent believe Iran would develop a weapon to sell to terrorist organizations. But nearly one-third said Iran aims to balance the nuclear threat posed by other regional nuclear states, such as Israel and Pakistan; just 6 percent said Iran seeks to develop nuclear capability as a means of generating energy. A majority, 64 percent, believes the United States has a responsibility to ensure Iran has limits on its nuclear capability.

When asked if Israel should have nuclear weapons, 48.8 percent agreed and 41.5 percent disagreed.

Again, the president's performance comes into question over his handling of the Iran nuclear crisis: 46.1 percent gave him poor marks, 20 percent graded him fair, and 23.3 percent said he did a good job. Only 6.6 percent said his performance was excellent.

The Bush administration's crying wolf over Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction has left bad memories with many voters. If the United States were to produce similar evidence today regarding Iran's nuclear facilities, only 27.1 percent say such evidence would be very credible; 25.7 percent say it would be somewhat credible; 20.7 percent feel such evidence would be not very credible, while 24.2 percent say it would not be credible at all. The vast majority of Republicans, 94 percent, would find such intelligence credible, but Democrats are more skeptical -- only 29 percent said they would feel the same. More than half of independents -- 59 percent -- said they would believe the government's claims.

On the controversial issue of sanctions, only 7.3 percent believe that would work; 57.6 percent disagree, saying sanctions will not produce the desired effect. But should the president decide to go to war with Iran, 77.3 percent believe the president should get authorization from Congress. Only 17.6 percent say he does not need authorization.

Regarding the "surge" of U.S. troops to Baghdad, 68.3 percent remain opposed to the idea.

And finally, should the United States try to bring about regime change to Iran, or should it let Iran determine its own future? A majority -- 63 percent -- said "let Iran determine its own future." One-quarter, or 25.2 percent, voted for bringing about regime change.

The survey, conducted nationwide March 14-16, included 4,824 adult online respondents and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points.

Email This Article

Related Links
Zogby Polling
News From Across The Stans
Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century
News and analysis about the Global War Against Terror at SpaceWar.com