meer dan 80% v/d amerikanen is bereid tot oorlog

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By Richard Morin and Claudia Deane
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, September 11, 2001; 11:24 PM

The overwhelming majority of Americans are willing to risk war to hunt down and punish the terrorist groups that plotted Tuesday's deadly attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

And by an equally lop-sided margin, the public favors taking military action directly against the countries that shelter terrorist groups – a somber warning to Afghanistan and other nations suspected of harboring terrorists.

Slightly more than four in 10 – 43 percent – said the government had done "all it reasonably could do" to prevent the attacks, but 44 percent said officials "could have done more." And a majority expressed concern that there will be more terrorist attacks to come in this country – although fewer worry that their own communities will be targeted.

A day filled with horrific news and nightmarish images left Americans in a determined and warlike mood, ready to strike swift and hard against a yet-unidentified enemy. Nine in 10 – 94 percent – supported taking military action against the groups or nations responsible for the attacks. More than eight in 10 favored military strikes even if they led to war.

"The world is going to judge us now on what we do and how we react," said Guy Torrey, 59, a real estate broker in Reno, Nevada. "And I think we should act a lot heavier than we have in the past. We're going to have to live with the history, so we need to get it right. But still, this is retribution day. If it doesn't come, it's over for us as a world power."

"I would support a complete slaughter," said Todd Niebling, 20, of Portland, Oregon. "If we got into a war, that's fine. You have to do what you have to do."

So great was the desire for swift and sure retaliation that two in three said they were willing to "give up some of the liberties we have" to crack down on terrorism.

The survey also found that 84 percent supported taking military action against any countries that assisted or harbored the terrorists, a view echoed by President Bush in his speech to the nation that the United States "will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them."

"I always think these terrorists make a big mistake," said Richard Zollo, 75, a retired college professor in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. "The same thing happened at Pearl Harbor. They think Americans are going to be frightened to death and powerless. And I think it only strengthens our resolve."

A total of 608 randomly selected adults were interviewed Tuesday night for this survey. Margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4 percentage points. The practical difficulties of doing a survey in a single night represent an additional potential source of error.

The survey documented the big and small ways that Tuesday's terrorist attacks directly affected average Americans living far away from New York City or Washington.

Half of those surveyed – 53 percent – said they changed their daily plans or activities in response to the tragedy. Forty-one percent of all workers said they stayed home from work or left their jobs early. Nearly three in 10 Americans said they called or e-mailed a friend or relative in New York or Washington, D.C., to make sure they were safe.

Nine in 10 said they said a prayer for the victims and their families.

Margaret McCardy, 76, of Abilene, Tex., went to the regularly scheduled lunch at her Episcopal church. "It is a very reserved church, but of course everybody was most concerned and in a prayerful spirit for all the people who were killed," McCardy said. "There were more people than usual" at the communion service.

"We were in prayer about it," she said. "That's all we can do at this point. It was such a horrible, horrible thing to happen in our country."

While most Americans were shocked by Tuesday's attacks, they were confident that the United States will not be surprised again. Two in three said they had confidence in the ability of the federal government to prevent further terrorist attacks.

Yet half continue to be very worried that there will be more terrorist attacks in the United States. Nearly half worried that a close relative or friend would be the victim of terrorism – significantly higher than the proportion that expressed concern following the Oklahoma City bombing six years ago. Four in 10 were concerned about a terrorist attack in their communities – including seven in 10 residents of large cities.

Still, those worries did not seem to dampen the public's desire for retaliation or their expectations that the United States would be able to find and punish those responsible for the attacks. Nine in 10 were at least somewhat confident that the United States would be able to locate and prosecute the perpetrators, including 54 percent who were "very confident."

"The loss of life, everything that's happened . . . I guess we can consider ourselves at war," said Michael Mitchell, 43, a postal worker from Nashport, Ohio. "All I can say is God bless America. Where do I sign up?"

© 2001 The Washington Post Company

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Op woensdag 12 september 2001 16:00 schreef Buffie het volgende:
Tot nu toe heeft-ie helemaal niks gedaan...

Waar zit die president eigenlijk? Al uren in overleg met wat topmannetjes? Kom naar buiten en ga eens wat melden, wat een laffe man is dat toch, heeft volgens mij geen flauw idee hoe hij dit moet aanpakken.

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