[R-G] Americans Favor President Meeting With U.S. Enemies: Six in 10 Think It’s a Good Idea to Meet with President of Iran

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

<http://www.gallup.com/poll/107617/Americans-Favor-President-Meeting-US-Enemies.aspx>
June 2, 2008
Americans Favor President Meeting With U.S. Enemies
Six in 10 think it's a good idea to meet with president of Iran
by Lydia Saad

PRINCETON, NJ -- Large majorities of Democrats and independents, and
even about half of Republicans, believe the president of the United
States should meet with the leaders of countries that are considered
enemies of the United States. Overall, 67% of Americans say this kind
of diplomacy is a good idea.

<http://media.gallup.com/poll/graphs/080602Enemies1_mue9aka.gif>

This is according to a Gallup Panel survey of a representative
national sample of 1,013 Americans, conducted May 19-21.

Although separate Gallup polling shows that few Americans view Iran
favorably [LINK:
<http://www.gallup.com/poll/1624/Perceptions-Foreign-Countries.aspx>],
and that Iran leads Americans' list of top U.S. enemies in the world
[LINK: <http://www.gallup.com/poll/105835/North-Korea-Drops-Top-Three-US-Enemies.aspx>],
the new Gallup survey also finds high public support for
presidential-level meetings between the United States and Iran,
specifically.

About 6 in 10 Americans (59%) think it would be a good idea for the
president of the United States to meet with the president of Iran.
This includes about half of Republicans, a majority of independents,
and most Democrats.

<http://media.gallup.com/poll/graphs/080602Enemies2_hdwkw20dk.gif>

Both positions enjoy broad popular appeal, with majorities of men,
women, younger and older Americans, and those from different regions
of the country all saying direct presidential-level talks with Iran
and other enemies are a good idea.

The issue of using presidential diplomacy with U.S. enemies
distinguishes Barack Obama from the presumptive Republican
presidential nominee, John McCain, and even from his opponent for the
Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton.

Obama is the only one of the three who has said he would personally
meet with the leaders of countries like Iran, Syria, Cuba, and
Venezuela as president, and he recently defended his position by
saying "strong countries and strong presidents talk to their
adversaries." Clinton has criticized Obama's approach as "naïve," and
McCain has been unrelenting in his attacks on the issue, accusing
Obama of being dangerously inexperienced and having "reckless
judgment."

Bottom Line

McCain may eventually persuade more Americans that there is nothing
for the president of the United States to discuss with hostile foreign
leaders like Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and that to do so
only undermines U.S. efforts to destabilize such regimes.

However, for now, whether it's the leader of an "enemy" country,
generally, or the president of Iran, specifically, Americans think
it's a good idea for the president of the United States to meet
directly with the nation's adversaries.

Survey Methods

Results for this Gallup Panel study are based on telephone interviews
with 1,013 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted May 19-21,
2008. Gallup Panel members are recruited through random selection
methods. The panel is weighted so that it is demographically
representative of the U.S. adult population. For results based on this
sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of
sampling error is ±4 percentage points.

For results based on the 529 national adults in the Form A half-sample
and 484 national adults in the Form B half-sample, the maximum margins
of sampling error are ±5 percentage points.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical
difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into
the findings of public opinion polls.

To provide feedback or suggestions about how to improve Gallup.com,
please e-mail feedback at gallup.com.

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-- 
Yoshie
<http://montages.blogspot.com/>