Americans swayed, unconvinced on Iraq, economy after watching State of the Union address

Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003 | 6:09 a.m.

Dave Mattingly had heard enough. His 21-year-old Marine son was sent to the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, and listening to President Bush talk about the threat of Saddam Hussein in his State of the Union address just made Mattingly angry.

"He's going to have his war one way or another, no matter what the rest of the world thinks," Mattingly said as he walked away from the bank of big-screen televisions at a Sears store in Las Vegas.

Mattingly, 49, said Bush didn't present any proof that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. "It's more of the same," he said, shaking his head.

But for some, the speech did what Bush intended - persuaded Americans of Saddam's danger to the world.

"I was 100 percent against going to war," said Bob Soper, a 90-year-old World War II Navy veteran who now lives at a retirement home in Minneapolis.

"He has changed my mind," said Soper, a Republican. "I don't want war. I've seen too many 18-year-olds killed, at Normandy and other places. But his explanation got to me perfectly."

Martha Nohe, 72, agreed.

"I didn't realize that he (Saddam Hussein) had so many biological weapons," said Nohe, who watched the speech at her home in Zelienople, Pa., about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. "We need to do something."

The economy is Richard Romero's biggest worry, however, and he didn't think Bush did enough to address it. His job as a consultant with the United Steelworkers of America was recently cut back to 24 hours a week.

"He still doesn't see the big picture," said Romero, 44, who watched the speech with his wife and two daughters at home in snow-swept Lorain, Ohio, a blue-collar city about 30 miles west of Cleveland.

"More people are worrying about how they're going to pay their next mortgage and how they're going to keep their kids in school and he's focusing on this potential war," said Romero, a Democrat.

Recent polls reflect Romero's opinion: The number of respondents who approved of the president's economic policy fell below 50 percent. Another poll showed only half approved of Bush's handling of foreign policy.

His overall approval rating was more than 50 percent, a healthy figure, but a big drop from the 90 percent levels it reached after Sept. 11, 2001.

At The Turtle Club in Ashland, Mo., customers dug into their grilled ribeye steaks and sipped beer while listening to Bush's speech. When it was over, many weren't sold on going to war against Iraq or that Bush is doing everything possible to boost the economy.

Jerry Fortner, 60, of Belle, Mo., a rural mail carrier, wanted to know more about what Bush would do to help make health care available to everyone. Fortner said he doesn't have insurance and knows friends who struggle to pay health insurance premiums topping $500 a month.

"I hear the speeches year after year and I am still skeptical that Bush will do much after he's finished making the speech," said Fortner, an independent.

But on Iraq, Fortner was more sympathetic.

"I never thought the U.N. inspectors would find anything, but I do think Iraq is hiding weapons from the world. I will support Bush if we do go in to finish the job this time," he said.

Bush gave few details of what lies ahead for U.S. troops, but Luann Hoyseth, 26, didn't mind as she listened to the speech with fellow military wives in Hinesville, Ga. Two weeks ago, she said goodbye to her husband, 1st Lt. Colin Hoyseth, when he was deployed to Kuwait with his Army unit.

"It endangers my husband's life, so I'm glad he's not giving it all away right now," she said.

"When he comes home, they're going to be heroes - not just to us, but to the Iraqi people," she said. "President Bush is doing the right thing."

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EDITOR'S NOTE - Associated Press writers Russ Bynum in Georgia, Scott Charton in Missouri, Josh Freed in Minnesota, Thomas J. Sheeran in Ohio and Pat Walters in Pennsylvania contributed to this report.