LOUISVILLE - A majority of Kentuckians support military action against Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein, according to a Bluegrass Poll by the Louisville Courier-Journal.

        While 62 percent of respondents favor a strike on Iraq, 72 percent believe President Bush should get the approval of Congress before launching one. A strike on Iraq was opposed by 24 percent of the respondents, 5 percent said their opinion would depend on other factors, such as support from other nations; 9 percent had no opinion.

        The idea that Iraq is a threat is accepted by 86 percent of Kentuckians, according to the poll.

        The survey was conducted by telephone among 803 Kentucky adults from Aug. 30 through Sept. 4. Its margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

        Mr. Bush visited Kentucky Thursday. He reiterated at an appearance in Louisville that he is committed to driving Mr. Hussein out of power. “We cannot let the world's worst leaders blackmail America, threaten America or hurt America with the world's worst weapons,” he said.

        Support for attacking Iraq is closely associated with Kentuckians' overall approval of Mr. Bush as president - 77 percent, compared with 21 percent who disapprove.

        Mr. Bush's job approval dropped 10 percentage points from the newspaper's last Bluegrass Poll in March.

        His job rating, however, was stronger in Kentucky than it was in recent national polls.

        Among those who approved of Mr. Bush's performance, 71 percent favored an attack and 16 percent opposed it. Among those who disapproved of his work, 35 percent favored an attack and 51 percent opposed.

        Support for an attack was found among all segments of Kentuckians, with only minor exceptions.

        People 50 and older, who lived during the Korean War and World War II, were less likely to favor military action than those under 50. Still, a plurality of those over 50 favor an attack.

        People in Northern Kentucky were more likely to approve of Mr. Bush's job, and those in the Bluegrass region were less likely to approve, than in the rest of the state.

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