Poll shows isle
voters disapprove
of Iraq war
Voters are nearly split
in their opinions of
the war on terrorism
Hawaii's voters disapprove of the nation's decision to go to war with Iraq, and just barely support the U.S. war on terrorism.
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The poll shows that 44 percent of Hawaii voters say the decision to go to war in Iraq was the wrong decision, while 39 percent say it was right.
The remaining voters did not know, refused to answer or were not sure.
When asked if they agreed or disagreed with the way the United States is conducting the war on terrorism, voters were almost evenly split. Forty-two percent said they agreed with the war on terrorism, and 40 percent said they disagreed.
Brickwood Galuteria, Hawaii Democratic Party chairman, called the results "a mirror of the national attitude."
"This close race is going right down to the wire, and more people are realizing that we did the wrong thing to go into Iraq," Galuteria said.
He predicted that the public's concern about the war will be reflected in a vote for Sen. Kerry next week.
However, Brennon Morioka, Hawaii Republican Party chairman, said the war has become a "divisive issue."
"Going to war is always a last resort, and people will think of it as that. What the poll shows is that we are at war and we have to face terrorism.
"The poll shows that a majority of people think President Bush will be better able to handle both situations," Morioka said.
The war against terrorism and with Iraq are dominating the debate over Hawaii's choice for president, according to the poll.
Of those who said the United States made the right decision to invade Iraq, 88 percent also support President Bush's re-election. But Bush also picked up 42 percent of those who said they were not sure about the invasion.
At the same time, those who opposed the Iraq war were most likely to vote for Sen. John Kerry. Nearly 85 percent of those opposed to the war said they were likely to vote for Kerry. And 32 percent of those who said they were not sure or undecided about the war said they would vote for Kerry.
When asked if they agreed or disagreed with the way the United States is conducting the war on terrorism, 81 percent said they disagreed and also said they would vote for Kerry. Thirteen percent of those who agreed with the nation's conduct of the war against terrorism said they would vote for Kerry.
Forty-four percent of those who said they were unsure or undecided on the war on terrorism said they would vote for Kerry.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.