Retired military are just as optimistic about the outcome in Iraq as their active-duty counterparts — and just as doubtful of presidential leadership, according to the Military Times Poll.

Sixty-two percent of those retirees responding think success is likely in Iraq — exactly the same percentage as the active force. And they are split evenly between those who approve (46 percent) and disapprove (45 percent) of the way President Bush is handling the war. And they are just as doubtful of the president’s overall performance as the active force; in both groups, 48 percent approve.

This is the first year the poll has sought the opinions of retirees. The sample was drawn from subscribers to the four Military Times weeklies. Just under 3,000 responded to the e-mail poll conducted Dec. 10-17. The margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points.

As a group, the retirees are as conservative politically and as likely to call themselves Republicans as the active force. But they differ markedly from the active force in one surprising area: The active force remains steadfastly opposed to the draft — 65 percent say no. But among retirees, 52 percent favor a draft.

The group of retirees polled generally seemed content about their former careers. Ninety percent would recommend a military career to others and 88 percent would support a family member’s decision to enlist. But it may well be that the retirees who continue to subscribe to the military weeklies are different than the general population of retired military personnel.

— Tobias Naegele

DISCUSS: The poll results