Most voters believe a candidate's position on the Iraq War is an important factor in how they will vote, potentially putting former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in a tight spot given his stumble on the issue last week.
In a
Rasmussen Reports survey conducted May 13 and 14 of 1,000 likely voters, 64 percent of respondents said they feel a candidate's position on the Iraq War was of significance, while just 32 percent say that it is not important. Twenty-six percent say it is very important while just 8 percent say it is not at all important.
Bush caused a media stir last week after telling Fox News' Megyn Kelly that he would have authorized the Iraq War, not realizing that the question was based on hindsight. He subsequently made two different statements, refusing to answer a hypothetical, before finally saying that he would not have backed an invasion knowing the intelligence we have today.
Rasmussen noted that voters are closely divided on whether then-President George W. Bush made the right decision to invade Iraq 12 years ago.
The survey also found that 41 percent say that given the intelligence that was available to Bush and his top advisers at the time, the United States should have invaded Iraq. Forty-seven percent disagree, while 12 percent are undecided.
Meanwhile, just 22 percent of voters now believe that the U.S. mission in Iraq will be considered a success in the long run. Two years ago, the figure was 27 percent, marking today's findings as the lowest level of optimism in surveying since November 2006.
Sixty-one percent think the legacy of the Iraq War will be considered a failure, the survey found, while 18 percent are not sure.
Republicans are more likely to believe the U.S. should have invaded given the intelligence that was available at the time at 71 percent. The same percentage of Democrats disagree, while 49 percent of unaffiliated voters disagree.
Nevertheless, 48 percent of Republicans agree that America's mission in Iraq will be judged a failure in the long run, 68 percent of Democrats and 65 percent of unaffiliated voters also feel that way.
Men are more likely than women to consider the Iraq mission a success. The older the voter, the less likely he or she is to share that view, the survey found.