Public Agenda Special Edition: Terrorism
For the past month, the debate over whether the U.S. should act against Iraq has dominated the news. Political and media leaders on both sides have pointed to surveys to support their position. But while there is support for military action, polls show the public's level of support rises and falls depending on circumstances: are our allies and the U.N. with us or not? How heavy will the casualties be? Does Iraq in fact have weapons of mass destruction?

The latest surveys show substantial majorities of the American public agree that Iraq poses a threat and initially support military action. Support for an attack falls when questions are raised about casualties and the reluctance of U.S. allies to join in — but support rises if the U.N., Congress and other countries are on board. The same principle seems to hold on the question of whether it's right for the U.S. to strike first.
http://www.publicagenda.org/specials/terrorism/terror_pubopinion6.htm