Poll: Majority says Iraq invasion mistake

PRINCETON, N.J., March 18 (UPI) -- As Americans mark the 10th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, a majority said the country erred in sending troops there, a Gallup poll indicated.

Fifty-three percent of Americans said they believe the country "made a mistake sending troops to fight in Iraq" while 42 percent said it wasn't, poll results released Monday indicated.

Gallup said it was the first time it asked this question since U.S. troops pulled out in December 2011.

This week is the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war. After initially supporting the war with huge majorities in 2003, Americans shifted their attitudes, with a majority of Americans calling the war a mistake by the summer of 2004, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.

In the latest poll, 66 percent of respondents who identify as or lean Republican say the United States did not err in sending troops to fight in Iraq while 30 percent express the opposite view, results indicated. In contrast, 73 percent of those identifying themselves as Democratic or leaning Democratic said the military campaign was a mistake while 22 percent said it wasn't.

Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews conducted with 1,022 adults March 7-10. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.