Fox News poll: President should have sent troops to Benghazi, voters say

Sept. 12, 2012: In this file photo, a man looks at documents at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. (AP)

By a wide 65-24 percent margin, voters think President Obama should have sent U.S. troops to Benghazi, Libya to try to stop the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans at the consulate there.

In addition, a Fox News poll released Thursday also shows voters are divided over how the Obama administration has subsequently handled the situation:  48 percent think the administration has covered up what happened in Benghazi, while 42 percent do not.

Most Republicans (82 percent), a sizable majority of independents (64 percent) and half of Democrats (50 percent) agree that the president should have ordered troops to Libya.

Views on the president sending troops are consistent across most demographic groups.  Majorities of men (68 percent) and women (62 percent), seniors ages 65+ (62 percent) and those under age 30 (71 percent), as well as those with a college degree (62 percent) and those without a degree (67 percent) all say Obama should have sent military assistance.

The Obama administration initially blamed the violence in Benghazi on a spontaneous protest sparked by a controversial online video mocking the prophet Muhammad.  Later the White House acknowledged it was a planned terrorist attack.

Fully 80 percent of Republicans believe the administration has covered up what happened at the consulate in Benghazi.  For independents, 45 percent believe there was a cover up, while 48 percent disagree.

By 65-22 percent, Democrats says there has not been a cover up.

The Fox News poll is based on landline and cell phone interviews with 1,012 randomly chosen registered voters nationwide and was conducted under the joint direction of Anderson Robbins Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R) from December 9 to December 11.  For the total sample, it has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.