Poll: Public trusts Powell more than Bush on Iraq

Asked whom they trust more on Iraq policy, almost two-thirds said they were likely to trust Secretary of State Colin Powell, 63 percent, more than President Bush, while 24 percent said they were more likely to trust the president, a new poll says.

Powell has been an advocate within the administration of working closely with the United Nations to resolve the Iraq situation. In recent days, as deep divisions have split Europe, Powell has taken a more hawkish stance about the need to disarm Iraq soon.

Support for military action against Iraq was up to 58 percent, compared with 52 percent before the president’s State of the Union speech a week ago, according to a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll released Monday.

But Powell’s scheduled appearance before the United Nations to provide evidence about Iraq could be crucial in solidifying that support, the poll suggested.

The poll of 1,003 adults was taken Friday through Sunday and has an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.