Americans Favor Killing Saddam Hussein

WASHINGTON —  Over half of Americans polled are in favor of assassinating Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, a survey by Gallup for USA Today and CNN reported Monday.

It found that 53% of the 602 Americans interviewed by telephone favored killing Hussein; 37% were against it. The poll had a margin of error of five percentage points.

The poll found that 66% agreed with the decision over the weekend to attack Baghdad for its alleged involvement in a plot to kill former President George Bush on a visit to Kuwait in April.

This was despite the finding that 54% of those surveyed believed the attack will raise the risk of terrorism in the United States.

Only 20% said the attack decision made them more confident in President Clinton’s leadership abilities while 60% said it had no effect and 14% said it made them less confident.