U.S. evangelical support for Iraq war slipping

By Ed Stoddard

DALLAS, Oct 26 (Reuters) - A new poll shows support for the war in Iraq is slipping among white evangelical Protestants, previously a key pillar of support for President George W. Bush's conduct of the conflict.

The poll is the latest bad domestic news for Bush and the Republicans about Iraq with just 12 days to go to congressional elections in which the Democrats are widely expected to capture control of the House of Representatives.

Conducted by the PEW Research Center, it found that 58 percent of white evangelical Protestants surveyed felt the United States made the right decision in using force in Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein, below the 71 percent in a previous poll in September.

This compared to little change overall among committed Republicans, with 78 percent saying it was the correct course versus 76 percent in September.

Flagging public support for the war as the death toll among U.S. forces mount in Iraq is one of the main reasons why analysts see Republicans losing House seats on Nov. 7.

Political activists in the evangelical community have been unwavering supporters of the war they see in part as a broader "clash of civilizations." Distaste among their flock for the conflict therefore highlights the depth of its unpopularity.

Scott Keeter of the PEW Research Center said it was hard to say why evangelical support seemed to have fallen so sharply but geography could be one reason.

"Many evangelicals are in the South and the military presence there is quite large and so the impact of the war on local communities is probably greater there," he said.

(There is more, here.)