Poll: Iraq Going Badly And Getting Worse
Majority In CBS News Survey Doubt U.S. Can Win; 62% Call War 'A Mistake'
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Video
Bush Works On Iraq Diplomacy
President Bush met with experts to work on a diplomatic strategy for the Iraq war. Karen Brown reports.
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Video
President's Plans For Iraq
CBS News RAW: After meeting with various officials on Iraq, President Bush said he appreciates their advice. He also stated, "Success in Iraq could help protect the U.S. in the long run."
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Iraq Group Report Fallout
The Iraq Study Group was bi-partisan in its makeup and now it's taking criticism from both sides of the aisle. Dan Raviv reports.
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Photo
(CBS/AP)
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Just 21 percent of those surveyed in the latest CBS News approve of President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq. (CBS)
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Interactive
Iraq: A Turning Point?
New Congress, change at the Pentagon, study group report; what does the future hold?
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Interactive
Iraq Study Group Report
Bipartisan commission warns that situation is "grave and deteriorating."
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Interactive
Presidential Approval Ratings
A sampling of President Bush's overall job approval ratings at selected points during his term in office.
Forty-three percent say the U.S. should keep fighting, but with new tactics, while 50 percent say the U.S. should begin to end its involvement altogether. Only 4 percent say the U.S. should keep fighting as it is doing now.
Just 21 percent approve of President Bush's handling of the war, the lowest number he's ever received, and an 8-point drop from just a month ago. Most of that drop has been among Republicans and conservatives. Three-quarters of Americans disapprove of how the president is handling Iraq.Read the complete CBS News poll results.
BUSH'S JOB HANDLING IRAQ
Now
Approve
Disapprove
11/14/2006
Approve
Disapprove
Opposition to the war is now taking on historic proportions, with 62 percent saying it was "a mistake" to send U.S. troops to Iraq — slightly more than told a Gallup Poll in 1973 that it was a mistake to send U.S. forces to Vietnam.
Americans generally agree with the assessment of the Iraq Study Group, which called the situation in Iraq "grave and deteriorating." But fewer than half — 46 percent — think Mr. Bush will seriously consider the bipartisan panel's recommendations; 43 percent think he will not.
Seventy-one percent say the war is going badly, including 39 percent who believe the war is going very badly. Just 25 percent say it's going well. The negative assessment of the war was shared by a majority of Republicans, Democrats and Independents.
Half of all Americans believe the situation in Iraq is getting worse, while fewer than one in 10 think it's getting better.
IS THE SITUATION IN IRAQ…?
Getting better
Getting worse
Staying the same
Only 15 percent of Americans — the lowest number ever — say the U.S. is currently winning the war. And for the first time, a majority (53 percent) believes it's not likely that the U.S. will ultimately succeed.
Sixty percent think that Iraq will never become a stable democracy — the highest number ever — while 85 percent now characterize the situation there as a civil war.
WILL THE U.S. SUCCEED IN IRAQ?
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Not very/not at all likely
Fifty-seven percent say Mr. Bush needs to make major changes in his Iraq policy, while 29 percent think only minor changes should be made. Just 8 percent think no changes in U.S. policy are needed.
By a 2-1 margin, Americans now say they have more confidence in congressional Democrats to handle the war than in the president.
Nearly six in 10 Americans want to see some kind of a drawdown in U.S. troop levels, including 25 percent who want all U.S. forces removed from Iraq.
Only 39 percent of Americans now say taking military action against Iraq was the right thing to do, tying the lowest number ever, while 55 percent say the U.S. should have stayed out. The country was evenly divided on this question as recently as a year ago.
This poll was conducted among a random sample of 922 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone Dec. 8-10, 2006. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Read the complete CBS News poll results.


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See all 191 CommentsLook at Bush in Photo at the top, it looks like they didn't have to search very hard for a "Bush with a lost face" to show. Poor Bush, more bad news for him!
Now
Approve
21%
Disapprove
75%
The truth sometimes hurts.
You could say that those posters are delusional. In fact they are delusional.
Right now the President himself is acknowledging the problems in Iraq. He is reaching out for help and to the American people for support. I for one say this is the best opportunity for unity and multilateral movement we have had for the last six years; and as a person who has had his opinions about this administration, I say it's time to take off the boxing gloves, shake hands and move on.
For those of you who still endlessly defend our president and those who continually trash him and provide no alternative other than "he stinks," I submit that both parties are part of the problem and not the solution. Terrorism revels in our dissunity.
Now
Approve
21%
Disapprove
75%
WE must stay the course!
WE must not "cut and run"!
The Translations:
YOUR SON must stay the course!
YOUR SON must not "cut and run"!
The Fact:
Over 2800 American Sons killed in Iraq.
The Question:
Has the President killed YOUR son yet?
Approve 21%
Disapprove 75%
And it seems this 21% is RABIDLY sticking up for their whipping boy as never doing anything wrong, he's their HERO!
This is laughable, this idiot has ratings lower than Nixon during Watergate, and 2 years left to go and about all the approval rating numbers have been doing is steadily DROPPING every month, is it possible it could go as low as ZERO and this idiot STILL be President?
Yeah the 8% that think Iraq is getting BETTER probably never read the news, it's falling apart over there into civil war already, we have lost control and this whole idiocy was a complete waste.
What ... none of your worthless essay? Come on ... you're fun to poke fun at!!!
GEORGE W. BUSH JOB HANDLING IRAQ
Now
Approve
21%
Disapprove
75%
Why do you think he lost House and Senate! The Bush Meglamania Cowboy Madness in Iraq is Over! The Party's Over for Lame Duck Bush!
There's plenty of proof Bush/Cheney still want to invade Iran. Just turn on Fox Fascist News. Don't think for a second the Bush/Cheney nightmare will just "go away".
And leading our country into war
Abusing all the power that we gave him
And shipping all our money out the door
He's the man who hired all the criminals
The White House shadows who hide behind closed doors" -Mr. Neil Young
And how many more Americans will die before the cart reaches its destination?
All these Rush Limbaugh types dont believe it!
GEORGE W. BUSH JOB HANDLING IRAQ
Now
Approve
21%
Disapprove
75%
Why do you think he lost House and Senate! The Bush Meglamania Cowboy Madness in Iraq is Over! The Party's Over for Lame Duck Bush.Cheney and America will never vote in another Bush!
This removes a very important incentive for the president to be cooperative.
She could have qualified her statement by making it subject to change in the future if investigations call for it. To make an arbitrary judgment like that goes against the obvious will of the majority of voters who are looking to the democrats for justice and leadership
Although the wheels are turning slowly, they are turning in the right direction to end US involvement. It happens that way because this is on the world stage and there are all these issues of not wanting to show weakness and cut and run and bla, bla, bla. My opinion is encourage the process of withdraw asap.
Posted by SHURCH4TRUTH at 09:47 PM : Dec 11, 2006
ME: seeking justice is not the same as revenge. impeaching clinton for a *** was revenge.
A poll on CNN web site today included over 100,000 people. Now that is impressive. Here are the results as of Monday night, 11p.m.:
Do you believe President Bush will be able to successfully shift the course of the war in Iraq?
Yes
18%
21,431 votes
No
82%
99,371 votes
Total: 120802 votes
You reference a poll done by a republican think tank that claims media bias and call it scientific because it agrees with you. But this poll is unscientific? By what measure? Did you check the statistical methods behind the poll? What specificly did you have a problem with?
Also while you are at it answer me this: Do you think it's dishonest and maybe a little nutty to come here and sign up under different names to pretend that more than one person shares your views? Just a hypothetical of course.
"CBS is extrememly biased and has done nothing but report anything that would put the present administration in a bad light."
Where can one go to see this administration in a good light? Perhaps in the dark? Or maybe some openly biased conservative talking spin-heads.
Get ready for the new talking points that will be coming out in January. They'll be blaming the Dems right out the gate for the war being lost.
We DO NOT have a Free Press.
Not even close.
Google "14 points of Fascism".
WAKE UP!!!!
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See all 191 Comments