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• Marine Scouts Wait for Second Push Into Iraq • Praise, Protests, Threats: Reaction Around the World • Satellites Give U.S. Missiles Dead-on Aim

Public optimism that the war against Iraq will be successful and short has grown in the last week, now that the war is under way, a new poll suggests.

A CBS-New York Times tracking poll, out Saturday, suggested that almost two-thirds, 62 percent, say the war will be quick and successful, and 33 percent thought it would take a long time and be costly. In early March, only four in 10 said they thought the war would be quick.

By a 2-1 margin, people now say that removing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is worth the cost.

About two-thirds in the poll said the Bush administration has not explained how much the war will cost. And about the same number, 64 percent, said that anti-war protest marches should be allowed. Fewer than half felt such marches should be allowed during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

American approval of President Bush generally has increased since the war started. Two-thirds approve of his overall job performance and his handling of Iraq, while almost half now approve of his handling of the economy, up from four in 10 early this month.

A majority, 53 percent, now say the country is on the right track, up from 35 percent who felt that way in early February.

The poll of 835 adults was taken Thursday and Friday and has an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

photo credit and caption:

A US marine gestures Saturday March 22, 2003 as coalition forces advance through southern Iraq. (AP Photo/Dan Chung, The Guardian, Pool)

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