Natalie Gonnella
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As the debate begins over which presidents' policies were responsible for the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, a new Gallup poll reveals that an overwhelming majority of Americans feel that US troops and the CIA deserve the bulk of the credit for Sunday's operation.
According to the recent survey, "89% say the military deserves 'a great deal of credit,' while 62% say the same about the CIA."
Interestingly, when it comes to presidential praise, Gallup's latest analysis reveals that:
Americans are more reserved in giving credit to President Obama. Thirty-five percent say he deserves a great deal of credit and another 36% say he deserves "a moderate amount" of credit. More than a quarter say he does not deserve much or any credit at all.
In relation to the operation's outcome, nearly two-thirds Americans say that killing bin Laden was the preferred strategy. However, "84% of those who say it would have been better to capture bin Laden alive still say they approve of the military action overall. This suggests that the preference for his capture is not held so strongly that it dampens support for the mission as executed."
In general, 93% of Americans approve of Sunday's events, and nearly four-fifths believe that bin Laden's death is very important for the country. In comparison to previous military efforts against al Qaeda, Gallup also notes that the latest approval for US action:
[Is] similar to the 90% of Americans who in an Oct. 7, 2001, poll approved of the U.S. taking military action against Afghanistan. These approval levels are higher than the immediate reaction to the launching of either the first Persian Gulf War in 1991 or the Iraq war in 2003, for which approval was in the mid- to high 70% range."
The full results of Gallup's poll is available to view here.
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