RE: Americans: It's OK to Bomb Iran

Additional polls this week on the view of Americans on attacking Iran:

USA Today/Gallup says:

46% said military action should be taken either now or if diplomacy fails.

18% favored military action.

73% said the U.S. should use economic sanctions and diplomacy to stop Iran's nuclear program.

46% said military action should be taken either now or if diplomacy fails while 45% ruled out a military strike altogether.

CNN/Opinion Research Corp., showing strong opposition to any military attack, is at odds with USA Today/ Gallup as well as Zogby's poll earlier:

63% oppose airstrikes on Iran.

73% oppose using ground troops to attack Iran.

70% oppose any military strike on Iran.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll generally detected a strong anti-war mood in the U.S. Despite a reduction in violence, the poll said an all-time high of 68% of Americans oppose the war in Iraq. Support for the war was 31%, compared to 54% in October 2003, the last time a majority of Americans did so.

Overall, despite the two polls indicating that roughly half would support an attack on Iran, the general anti-war trend confirms that it would entail a huge domestic political gamble.

--By Scott MacLeod/Cairo