Public Opinion

The latest from the Political Grapevine:

Public Opinion
A new poll shows Americans' greatest priority is now foreign policy, for the first time since the Vietnam era (search). The Pew poll shows 41 percent of Americans say it's the most important problem facing the U.S., 26 percent say that about economic issues.

A majority of Americans also say the U.S. is less respected now than in the past, and say the Bush administration was too quick to use force. However, a majority back pre-emptive force, though not a majority of Democrats. Democrats and Republicans also sharply differ on whether the U.S. may have been partially responsible for 9/11, with a majority of Democrats saying U.S. wrongdoing might have motivated the attacks.

Military Action "A Mistake"
Retiring Nebraska Republican Rep. Doug Bereuter, who voted to authorize the war in Iraq, now says it was a, "mistake to launch that military action." The week before casting his vote, Bereuter said, "it is clear that the threat Saddam poses will only intensify," but in a letter to constituents, he now says there was a, "massive failure or misinterpretation of intelligence" regarding weapons of mass destruction, and that the Bush administration made a number of errors during the war despite "many warnings."

He says, "Now we are immersed in a dangerous, costly mess, and there is no easy and quick way to end our responsibilities in Iraq without creating bigger future problems in the region."

Ad-vancing the Competition?
A survey of Kerry-leaning independent voters suggests that new anti-Kerry ad by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (search) may be working. Before viewing the ad, 42 percent of respondents said they were, "definitely" voting for John Kerry, and none said they were "not sure" how to categorize their intentions.

But after viewing the ad, only 29 percent said they were "definitely" voting for Kerry, and nearly just as many said they were "not sure."

Plans to Promote Adoption
The Children Services office of Franklin County, Ohio, says most of the people who adopt are religious, so it's planning a gospel concert featuring national recording artists to promote adoption. But the ACLU is objecting to the concert, insisting the use of gospel singers is unconstitutional and amounts to -- "crossing the line of neutrality when it comes to religion."

County officials, though, say, "the only goal is to find homes for kids who need them," and tell local WBNS-TV the show will go on as planned.

— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report