The collapse of a plea bargain for Lynndie England, the soldier who became the symbol of the Abu Ghraib scandal, has brought the question of prisoner abuse back to the news. According to surveys, large majorities reject the mistreatment of prisoners, but public anger has faded since the scandal broke last year. The number of Americans who say the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers "bothers you a great deal" fell from 54 percent last year to four in 10 in May 2005.

The boost in public confidence following the Iraqi elections also has faded in surveys. The public seems to be wrestling with the contradictions of the war. Majorities say the Iraq war is going badly for the U.S. A plurality (44 percent) believes the war has weakened the U.S. position in the world, with about as many doubting that it will help spread democracy in the Mideast. Yet strong majorities also believe the Iraqi people will be better off because of it.

• Introduction
• Bin Laden and Al Qaeda
• The Home Front and the Election
• Remembrance and Healing
• Civil Liberties
• Immigration
• Post-Election Optimism Fading in Surveys on Iraq, as Does Concern Over Abuse
• The View of Islam Abroad
• Racial Profiling and Islam at Home
• The 9-11 Commission: Enough Blame to Go Around?
• Protest and Patriotism

• CBS News/New York Times survey
  
• Gallup survey
  
• Los Angeles Times
• Newsweek poll
  
• Pew Research Center survey