Poll suggests opposition to $87 billion Iraq aid proposal

WASHINGTON -- The American public is clearly uncomfortable with President Bush's request for an additional $87 billion for Iraq, says a new poll that shows six in 10 oppose the spending.

The ABC-Washington Post poll out Sunday shows 61 percent oppose spending the $87 billion in addition to the billions in earlier spending Congress provided for the war.

Asked how the government should pay for the $87 billion if it is approved, four in 10 said elimination of recent tax cuts, almost three in 10, 28 percent, said cut spending, and two in 10, 19 percent, said increase the budget deficit.

Almost nine in 10, 85 percent, said they were concerned that the United States is going to get bogged down in Iraq in a long and costly peacekeeping mission. More than half, 53 percent, said they were very concerned.

In August, three-fourths said they were concerned about the United States getting bogged down, and four in 10 said they were very concerned.

Despite the growing concerns about Iraq, President Bush's job approval rating in this poll was 58 percent. It's been in the low 50s in several recent polls.

The poll of 1,104 adults was taken Sept. 10-13 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.