Gallup Poll: American Public Favors National Missile Defense System
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The decision on whether to advance a national missile defense system apparently will be left to President Clinton's successor. Sources tell CNN that Mr. Clinton will make that announcement next hour. The Republican-controlled Congress wants a system deployed as soon as possible, but critics say it would fuel an international arms race. Gallup Poll Editor in Chief Frank Newport joins us now. He has a look at how the American public feels about the matter.</s>KAGAN: Frank, good morning.</s>FRANK NEWPORT, GALLUP POLL EDITOR IN CHIEF: Good morning, Daryn. The bottom line is, the public in general favors the missile defense system just as they did back in the 1980s when they favored Ronald Reagan's Star Wars system. Let's show you the data. This is from about a month ago in July when we asked the public, favor or oppose a missile defense system? Fifty-three percent favor it, 36 percent are opposed. It is a partisan issue. Daryn, you mentioned that the Republican Congress had been pushing it. Well, rank-and-file Republicans across the country more likely to be in favor of it as well: 63 percent of Republicans favor it, Independents much more mixed, and Democrats is 51 percent. Those are some of the pressures, obviously, that Bill Clinton has been under. Let's show you from our Gallup Poll vault what we found back in 1986. We phrased the question different, used the term Star Wars. But here's what we found there for Reagan's system. At that point, about the same numbers as we find now: 52 percent of the public way back then favor this system as well. Finally, if it is left up to the new president, we think that George W. Bush has an edge over Al Gore because, consistently, when we asked the public who would better handle national defense, George W. Bush wins. He won in July, he won in August. And even after the Democratic convention when Gore did very well, that was the one dimension that Bush still has a considerable edge over Al Gore on. So if it's going to be left up to the new president, Daryn and Bill, it looks like Bush could probably argue to the public, hey, I could do a better job making that decision. That's where the public stands. Back to you.</s>KAGAN: Thank you very much.