Even pollsters were surprised by this Field Poll (California) which found that 63% of residents in the San Francisco area support the war. As this poll in the Washington Post makes clear only 16% oppose the war. Note that in the various categories of citizens the poll is divided into, only African Americans are below a majority (49% support the war), that the war is supported even by Liberal Democrats (52%) and Democratic women (60%). I know, these are just polls, etc., and youre right. Still, you must admit, these figures are not completely without meaning; the disparity between for war and against war is too big.
It needs to be pointed out that asking if you "support the war" has a completely different meaning for most folks today than it did 5 weeks ago. (The pollsters would have been better off asking, "is this a just war," or "is this a legal war.")
Whereas five weeks ago, many people might have taken this question to mean "are you in support of going to war with Iraq," my feeling is that most people, asked today, are more inclined to interpret the question as "do you support the coalition troops" or "do you hope for a quick and successful outcome to the war." Note, for example, the poll which Dr. Schramm neglected to mention. In that poll, only 58% of those asked whether or not removing Saddam Hussein from power was worth the loss of American lives and other costs answered in the affirmative. And so goes Dr. Schramms bid disparity right out the window...
Depending on how the question was asked, pretty much everyone - including those of us opposed to the war - would answer in the affirmative. For example, Im very much against the idea of fighting an unjust war (as we are now), but I fully support our troops and the administration in hopes of ending this thing as quickly as possible. Its all quite subjective, really and I seriously doubt that the pollsters took the time to ask the qualifying statements necessary to draw any tangible conclusions.
That said, these numbers are not at all surprising, and certainly cannot serve as an indication of whether most Americans feel that this is a just war.