Via Unfogged, a Harris poll reveals that half the country thinks Saddam actually had Weapons of Mass Destruction:
Half of Americans now say Iraq had weapons of mass destruction when the United States invaded the country in 2003 -- up from 36 percent last year, a Harris poll finds. Pollsters deemed the increase both "substantial" and "surprising" in light of persistent press reports to the contrary in recent years....
Seventy-two percent of respondents said the Iraqi people are better off now than under Saddam Hussein's regime -- a figure similar to that of 2004, when it stood at 76 percent. In addition, 64 percent say Saddam had "strong links" with al Qaeda, up from 62 percent in October 2004. Fifty-five percent said that "history will give the U.S. credit for bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq."
And although the response is tepid, American confidence in the Iraqis has improved: 37 percent said Iraq would succeed in creating a stable democracy, up five points since November.
Americans remain in touch with the realities of Iraq: 61 percent said the conflict has motivated more Islamic terrorists to attack the U.S. -- a number that has remained virtually unchanged since 2004.
An additional 41 percent say the war has reduced the threat of another major terrorist attack in the United States, a sentiment also unchanged in the past two years.
Among other mysteries here, I'm baffled as to why 55% think America will get credit for "creating a stable democracy in Iraq," but only 37% think Iraqis will "succeed in creating a stable democracy." Stupidity os one explanation. Another is a kind of insidious bigotry: America can impose a successful democracy, but those foreigners will fuck it up.
The entire Iraqi debacle is freighted with these contradictions. We came to bring liberation and punishment, democracy and vengeance, stability and destruction, a new government and unbridled corruption.