Credit For Killing Bin Laden? Americans Say Obama Over Bush

A new Gallup poll conducted May 2 finds that 71% of Americans credit Barack Obama with the killing of Osama bin Laden, “a great deal or a moderate amount,” and 52% give former President George W. Bush “a great deal or a moderate amount” of credit. But Americans credit the U.S. military (98%) and the CIA (88%) the most.

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25% of Americans say former President George W. Bush should get no credit for the assassination, and 12% of Americans say the same about Obama.

Additionally, the survey finds 33% of Americans would have preferred bin Laden captured, not killed, but 60% agree with the decision to kill bin Laden.

 

“Republicans are less likely than either independents or Democrats to express a preference that bin Laden be captured rather than killed.”

 

Overall, 93% of Americans “approve of the U.S. military action that killed Osama bin Laden.”

“Overwhelming majorities of all subgroups of the American population approve of Sunday’s action, including 97% of Republicans and 95% of Democrats. Independents are slightly less likely to approve, at 89%, with 8% disapproving,” Gallup finds.

“Several Republican leaders publicly praised President Obama Monday for his actions leading up to the death of bin Laden, including Bush, former Vice President Cheney, and Speaker of the House John Boehner,” Gallup notes, but adds that at “the rank-and-file level across the country, however, Republicans are more sparing in the amount of credit they are willing to give Obama. Ninety percent of Democrats, compared with 73% of independents and 48% of Republicans, give Obama a great deal or moderate amount of credit for Sunday’s actions. On the other hand, 71% of Republicans give Bush a great deal or moderate amount of credit, in contrast to 48% of independents and 40% of Democrats.”

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“Demographically, the major distinction in these preferences for how bin Laden should have been handled is within age groups, with 50% of 18- to 34-year-olds in the survey saying they would have preferred to see bin Laden captured alive, compared with 27% of those aged 35 to 54 and 26% of those 55 and older. Republicans (22%) are less likely than either independents (38%) or Democrats (36%) to express a preference that bin Laden be captured rather than killed.”