Poll: U.S. Views on Iran

The Washington Post and ABC News are out with a new poll on American views of Iran's nuclear program:

There's less, though still sizable backing for military engagement, with 42 percent of Americans supporting the bombing of Iran's nuclear development sites and 33 percent advocating invading the country with U.S. ground forces (54 and 62 percent, respectively, oppose these actions).

Three in 10 support direct financial incentives such as aid money or more trade; two-thirds of Americans oppose these potential inducements.

Public reviews of how President Obama is handling the situation with Iran have changed little since the spring and summer: 52 percent of Americans now approve of how he is doing in this area, 39 percent disapprove. About seven in 10 Democrats approve of how the president is dealing with Iran, while a similar proportion of Republicans give him low marks here. Independents split 51 percent positive, 41 percent negative.

As noted earlier, it's always best to view public opinion warily. Still, it's interesting to see that about a third of the country supports bribing Iran outright and another third supports invading them.

(Representatives of the U.S., France, Russia and Iran meet today in Vienna. AP Photos)