More than six in 10 Americans think a war with Iraq is inevitable and about the same number think such a war would result in a victory for the United States, says a Time-CNN poll released Friday.

About a third said they thought a war with Iraq would result in a stalemate.

People were divided on how long such a war would take, with half saying it would take six months or longer and about four in 10 saying it would take less than six months.

Most people were unconvinced that sending a United Nations team into Iraq would be effective. Nine in 10 said they think Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein will prevent weapons inspectors from going into some sites.

Three-fourths said they don’t think sending weapons inspection teams into Iraq will eliminate the threat of that country using weapons of mass destruction against the United States.

When asked whether the United States should invade with ground troops to remove Saddam from power, 57 percent said it should.

If Saddam does not allow weapons inspectors into his country to search for weapons of mass destruction, almost half, 47 percent, said that the United States should invade only if the military action is authorized by the United Nations.

The poll of 1,006 adults was taken Wednesday and Thursday and has an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.