U.S. poll shows division on attacking Iran

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Opinions on the use of U.S. military action against Iran over its nuclear program is almost evenly divided in a USA Today-Gallup poll published Tuesday.

In the telephone survey of 1,024 adults Friday through Sunday, 45 percent of respondents said military action should be ruled out in any case, while 46 percent said military action should either be taken if diplomacy fails, or now, the newspaper said.

However, about 75 percent said they are concerned the United States "will not do enough to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons" while about the same percentage said the United States "will be too quick to use military force."

The same poll also set a record low for U.S. President George Bush, who had a 31 percent job approval rating. Ranked within that data, the newspaper said for the first time in the history of the Gallup Poll, 50 percent said they "strongly disapprove" of the president's performance.

That beats the 48 percent ranking Richard Nixon had in 1974 when an impeachment inquiry was formed, Gallup said.