Poll: Americans Split On Troop 'Surge'

55% In CBS Survey Don't Think Increased Troop Levels Will Help Stabilize Baghdad

(CBS)  Americans are nearly evenly divided on the idea of a short-term increase in U.S. troop levels in Iraq — which President Bush is widely expected to call for when he announces his new strategy for the war later this week.

In the latest CBS News poll, 45 percent are in favor of the so-called troop "surge," while 48 percent are opposed.

However, most Americans — 55 percent — don't think a troop increase would actually help stabilize Baghdad; just 35 percent think it would.


SHORT-TERM TROOP INCREASE TO STABILIZE BAGHDAD

Favor
45%
Oppose
48%

A majority — 59 percent — would prefer to see troop levels either reduced (30 percent) or brought to zero with a full withdrawal (29 percent).

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Read the complete CBS News poll results.

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Most Americans expect Mr. Bush will announce changes in the U.S. strategy in Iraq, but not the kinds of changes they want.

Forty-three percent say the U.S. should keep fighting the war but with a new strategy, which is what 55 percent say the president will do. But 52 percent want the U.S. to start ending its involvement in Iraq, which only 6 percent think the president will do.


U.S. TROOP LEVELS IN IRAQ SHOULD BE…

Increased
18%
Kept the same
17%
Decreased
30%
All removed
29%

Just 3 percent think the U.S. should keep fighting with the current strategy; 35 percent think Mr. Bush will stay on the same course.

Americans continue to have dim views of how the war in Iraq is going. Seven in 10 say the war is badly for the U.S., while only 28 percent say it's going well. In some good news for the president, a majority of Republicans (54 percent) now say the war is going well, up 8 points from last month.

HOW IS THE WAR GOING?


Well
28%
Badly
71%

More than half of Americans (52 percent) think Iraq will never become a stable democracy, but there is less pessimism than a month ago. Forty-five percent think Iraq will someday have a stable democracy, 9 percent more than last month, though just 3 percent think that will happen in the next year or two.

Only 17 percent say the U.S. is winning the war, about the same number as say the Iraqi resistance is winning. Six in 10 say neither side is winning.

Just 23 percent approve of President Bush's handling of the war, while 72 percent disapprove.


WAS REMOVING SADDAM WORTH IT?


Yes
30%
No
64%

As for Saddam Hussein, nearly two in three Americans — 64 percent — do not believe removing the now-executed Iraqi dictator from power was worth the loss of American life and the other costs of attacking Iraq. That's the largest number ever to say ousting Saddam wasn't worth it.

[platinum79]

God Bless Bush for removing Saddam and for helping Iraq and this country.

[jb93022]

Now I'm really mad. It was bad enough that you and Dan Rather helped George Bush get us into this by banging the war drums in 2003 while anyone with half a brain was standing on the street chanting "Not in my name!" Now you slant our opinions by asking the wrong question!! You should be asking whether or not we support the war, let alone the troop surge, or whether or not we think it will help. You keep up this BS, and relegate yourselves to the dung heap of history. Admit we screwed up and bring 'em home now, dammit.

[jb93022]

Now I'm really mad. It was bad enough that you and Dan Rather helped George Bush get us into this by banging the war drums in 2003 while anyone with half a brain was standing on the street chanting "Not in my name!" Now you slant our opinions by asking the wrong question!! You should be asking whether or not we support the war, let alone the troop surge, or whether or not we think it will help. You keep up this BS, and relegate yourselves to the dung heap of history. Admit we screwed up and bring 'em home now, dammit.

[lbell9]

I think it is a mistake to send more troops to Iraq. It is a waste of American lives and money. I believe that there is no military solution to this grave situation. President Bush is once again taking our nation down a road alone. He is not listening to military generals, study groups, and most of all the American people.

[kwlambi]

CBS polls serve no purpose other than to confuse the issues. I agree that there is no way that americans are split on the surge issue. There is so much Bunk on this war right now, I just feel its the 60s again.,for instance how many times did we hear about training the south vietnamese troops? How many times did Washington seek the Saigons' governments power to help themselves? So... when are we all going to Paris for Peace talks? That is about the only thing I have not heard from anyone, lets sit the Suni and Shihites down in Paris for the next 3 years, and let C. Rice head the peace talks......

[ximines-2009]

One follow up to my previous post.

CBS also cleverly mis-characterizes Bush's proposed plan, in order to deceive the reader. Make no mistake about it, Bush is going to propose an overall increase in the TOTAL NUMBER OF US Troops in Iraq. Whether these NEW TROOPS are sent to stabilize Bagdad is a sub-component of Bush's "new way forward," and could be accomplished with or without the troops currently in Iraq.

Thus, the US public's opinion on the most important part of Bush's "new way forward" is buried in the CBS article. Instead, CBS takes the most popular COMPONENT of Bush's overall proposal, and dishonestly conflates it with the more important question, i.e., what the public thinks of Bush's overall proposal to add new troops to Iraq.

Americans are NOT "split on Troop Surge." Americans are overwhelmingly against a troop surge. Americans ARE split on whether they'd like to see more US Troops in Bagdad.

Shame on you, CBS. This is the sort of yellow journalism that gets countries into ill-advised wars in the first place.

[ximines-2009]

The Title of this article is blatantly misleading. The poll question most relevant to the issue does not support the contention that the public is even close to evenly split on the question of whether we should have an overall troop surge in Iraq. Instead, the author of this piece has cleverly taken a portion of the survey, which deals only with whether the public thinks it's a good idea to increase the troops IN BAGDAD, and dishonestly tried to pass off the answer to this question as dispositive of the more important question (raised in the headline), of whether the US Citizenry is in favor of an overall increase in troop levels. Basically, CBS is attempting to fool the reader into believing that the US is roughly split on Bush's proposed plan, when CBS' own poll directly contradicts this assertion. By its own numbers, the CBS poll figures cited 'below the fold' demonstrate that only 18% of the public favors an increase in overall troop levels in Iraq. I urge readers to ask themselves: "why is CBS deliberately lying to the public?"

[mybad69]

this last surge call from the president,is more like the rules of engagement.wve exercise most of the options weve got,and this is maybe the last resort so lets give him a last chance to prove that we are still in the fight.its always never to late.so get them guys.

[knyghtwolf]

Its not Global Warming thats going to destroy humankind, It's George dubya Bush & his ties to corporate america that are going to destroy all life as we know it.

[knyghtwolf]

http://www.hereinreality.com/carlyle.html go here & find out the truth about who REALLY owns all the media agencies in the free (facist) world today. Bush is rapidly fleshing out the global nightmare of his own personal designer apocolypse based on his own twisted christian beliefs. If Bush and his personal hand picked talking simian squad doesn't stand trial in this life, the Spirit WILL take care of business. Check out your history, Prescott Bush, along with Henry Ford, and J D Rockefeller met with Hitler at his chalet and the aforementioned helped Hitler come up with his "Final Solution" as Henry Ford was Hitler's personal hero.

[bluestardad]

this article is not named properly. It should say that majority of Americans do not want an increase in the Iraq war.

[exusmcsgt]

mh4cbs1-

Those "spineless, do-nothing Democrats" as you put it, passed legislation implementing the 9/11 commission's reccomendations in their first week of power after three successive Republican congresses sat on their duff and did squat.

[patsbeer]

Bush doesn't have a clue about the military. All he cares about is winning it war. That's not going to happen and the people have said they had enough. Bush has to prove everybody wrong even if that means more deaths and billions of dollars!!

[mh4cbs1]

Bush wants more troops so he can sacrifice them in his needless NeoCon War for power and profit.

Support the Troops! Bring them Home!

JAIL BUSH JAIL CHENEY They are WAR CRIMINALS.

Bush talks alot about justice, so when is going to turn himself in for LYING us into Iraq and causing so much Death and Destruction. MASS MANSLAUGHTER.

[mh4cbs1]

Q: Why isn't the CBS headline:

"Only 18% of Americans favor increase of Troops in Iraq"

A: Because CBS is corporate-run media that has cheerleaded this War from the outset. Cherry picking news, commentators, polls. CBS would rather say "Americans split' when in fact people are SICK and TIRED of the Bush/Cheney WAR for power and profit.

CBS should read the scathing article by Conservative Republican Ron Paul, lambasting Bush for his needless invasion of Iraq. He has more courage of conviction than all those SPINELESS DO-NOTHING DEMOCRATS.

[fascistusa]

Our "news" is PROPOGANDA.

America is FASCIST!!!!

Are YOU ready to FIGHT???

[exusmcsgt]

kwlambi-

And I sublit that you know far more about being an idiot than I ever will.

[exusmcsgt]

kwlambi-

Ok, fair enough. Johnson quit in "68 but Eisenhower's, Kennedy's, and his war went on until 1973.

If you think Johnson started Viet Nam, you are a total ignoramus. Bubba started Iraq, granted. But Johnson by no means started Viet Nam. Learn your history.

[kwlambi]

exusmc; U are an idiot, Johnson quit the white house in 68.

[exusmcsgt]

random_radar-

Bubba wouldn't even make National Guard meetings, much less lead a charge in combat. Besides, who would follow him if he did?