Poll: Americans More Optimistic On Surge

29% Now Believe Troop Surge Is Helping In Iraq, But Most Still Say War Going Badly

(CBS)  According to a new CBS News poll, Americans have become somewhat more optimistic about the impact of the troop surge in Iraq. The poll, released Monday, shows that 29 percent of respondents now believe that the surge is having a positive impact, an increase of 10 percentage points from last month.

Fifteen percent of Americans say the surge is making the situation worse, and 46 percent say it is having no impact either way, according to the poll.

A majority of Americans remain pessimistic about the direction of the war in general. Just 29 percent say the U.S. efforts to bring stability and order to Iraq are going well, while more than two-thirds say those efforts are going badly.

About one-third of Americans say that the U.S. should reduce troop levels in Iraq, and another 30 percent say the U.S. should remove all troops from the country. Just under one-third say America should increase troop levels or keep them at the same level they are today.

Nearly half the public, 46 percent, says the U.S. presence in Iraq is creating terrorists who want to attack America. Just 26 percent of Americans say they approve of how President George W. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq, a figure nearly unchanged since last month.

There has also been little change in the president's overall approval rating; 29 percent of Americans say they approve of the president's performance, while 65 percent disapprove. Meanwhile, 34 percent of Americans approve of the president's handling of the economy.

Americans have become slightly more positive in their assessment of the president's handling of the campaign against terrorism. For the last two months, President Bush has been at an all-time low of 39 percent approval on the issue. This month, that figure has risen to 44 percent, with 48 percent disapproving.

While the president's approval ratings are low, Congressional approval ratings are even lower. Just 25 percent of Americans say they approve of the way the legislative body is performing. Shortly before the 2006 midterm election that resulted in the Democrats gaining control of Congress, a slightly higher percentage of Americans – 29 percent – said they approved of Congressional performance.

In the wake of the Minneapolis bridge collapse, meanwhile, 64 percent of Americans say they want increased spending on rebuilding and repairing roads and bridges, and 56 percent say they would support increasing taxes to do so.

---

This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,214 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone Aug. 8-12, 2007. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points.

[speakinup]

homespunlady - any dipstick can tell you that the DOW is NOT an indicator of how healthy the economy is. You only expose your ignorance if you think the DOW runs on anything other than perception and emotion.

BTW - I just told you about the DOW''s inner workings. So what''s that about not being able to tell a fool about anything?

[speakinup]

bluestardad - Tell us again how one of the Armed forces called your friend on the phone to let them know their service member was dead. And, how you are afraid to answer the phone because your two children that joined the service got sent to Iraq.

The services don''t, and never have, notified next of kin by phone that their service members are KIA.

You are NOT a bluestardad. You are a liar and a charlatan. You deserve nothing but scorn from EVERYONE on this post.

[homespunlady]

Next will be "Americans are more optimistic" When it becomes 2 percent are for the war rather than 1 percent. Hey, for those that haven''t noticed - THE MAJORITY WANT US OUT!!
Arguing about how SMALL the OVER 70 to 80 percent majority is is JUST DOUBLESPEAK.
BTW seems the GENERALS are talking DRAW DOWN.
The NEOCON are still saying the ECONOMY is GREAT. How''s that OVER a THOUSAND POINT DROP in the last month going.
Warned some Contractor a couple of months ago that hiring ILLEGAL ALIENS to build his multi-million dollar development wasn''t such a good idea but - you can''t tell a fool ANYTHING.

[starleo146]

Posted by GretaGreen at 07:46 PM : Aug 14, 2007

No, the polling is not off, they only asked the Bush Lovers they are so positive about everything he does don't you know.

[name_verify]

LIBERALS, POVERTY PIMPS, TERRORIST APOLOGISTS

JOIN THE PRIDE PARADE

HILLARY / BARAK 2008!

[realpatriot1]

screen_name,

Liberals criticize Muslim Jihadists every bit as much as you do. The difference is that we distinguish between extremists and moderate mainstream Muslims, you don't.

People like you validate the propaganda of the Jihadists that the west is waging war on Islam, when in fact, it is the Jihadist who practice takfir-war against other Muslims.

You are Bin Laden's recruiting tool.

[trillion1]

Gas is more expensive, terrorists are stronger, we are no safer. This is what our goverment has done for us.

[bluestardad]

Nancy_Naive; GREAT POST!

[tbweb]

Hi toldyouso21 - America needs oil. Our economy and welfare is dependant upon oil. Americans will not give-up cars or their jobs for lack of oil if we can get it elsewhere. When push comes to shove, most Americans will support a war when they feel their well-being is threatened. Let gas rise a couple of dollars and see how anxious American will be to get it from anywhere, even by war.

Posted by rhs648 at 09:07 PM : Aug 14, 2007,,,

Not me, I would not mind a nice Horse!

[name_verify]

Muslims sentence g.a.y.s. to death by stoning.

Muslims sentence to death any Muslim who tries to change to a different religion.

Yet libs in America, never criticize Muslims, because libs believe diversity is to be defended at all costs.

Libs = terrorist apologists

[dem-dolts]

~ Posted by toldyouso21:
~ Shell is NOT Danish owned [...]

Sorry, knew that--same reasoning applies regardless.

~ As for the Iraqi oil agreement, it also provides for opening
~ up decades long leases to foreign investment and locks Iraqis
~ into a revenue pkg of foreign corporations choosing.

I have no problem with private investment in foreign countries--it produces prosperity. The Iraqi govt gets to choose who invests & on what terms. I suggest you look at Venuzuela's recent fiated buyout of majority positions in all oil companies currently there & then tell me how foreign corporations can run rampant over /any/ country.

~ It IS all about the oil.[...]

The fact that we were embargoing Iraqi oil before the war should tell you something of our motivations. It /wasn't/ about the oil. We were more than willing to do without it.

~ George Bush said it best in June when he stated that to leave
~ Iraq now would leave the 3rd largest oil reserves in the world
~ in potential terrorists' hands.

Sunk costs are sunk costs--you ignore them in politics as much as in financial management; it's "where do we go from here"--& that's where Bush's comments come into play.

~ [....] If it was not about the oil we
~ would not be in or care about the ME--we'd give it just as
~ much attention as we give Dafur and Sierra Leone right now.

Darfur & Sierra Leone never had WMDs, training camps & $$ support for terrorists w/ intel resources organized w/i the U.S.

[dem-dolts]

~ Posted by toldyouso21:
~ Shell is NOT Danish owned [...]

Sorry, knew that--same reasoning applies regardless.

~ As for the Iraqi oil agreement, it also provides for opening
~ up decades long leases to foreign investment and locks Iraqis
~ into a revenue pkg of foreign corporations choosing.

I have no problem with private investment in foreign countries--it produces prosperity. The Iraqi govt gets to choose who invests & on what terms. I suggest you look at Venuzuela's recent fiated buyout of majority positions in all oil companies currently there & then tell me how foreign corporations can run rampant over /any/ country.

~ It IS all about the oil.[...]

The fact that we were embargoing Iraqi oil before the war should tell you something of our motivations. It /wasn't/ about the oil. We were more than willing to do without it.

~ George Bush said it best in June when he stated that to leave
~ Iraq now would leave the 3rd largest oil reserves in the world
~ in potential terrorists' hands.

Sunk costs are sunk costs--you ignore them in politics as much as in financial management; it's "where do we go from here"--& that's where Bush's comments come into play.

~ [....] If it was not about the oil we
~ would not be in or care about the ME--we'd give it just as
~ much attention as we give Dafur and Sierra Leone right now.

Darfur & Sierra Leone never had WMDs, training camps & $$ support for terrorists w/ intel resources organized w/i the U.S.

[rhs648]

George Bush said it best in June when he stated that to leave Iraq now would leave the 3rd largest oil reserves in the world in potential terrorists' hands. This was in response to questions on why we must stay. If it was not about the oil we would not be in or care about the ME--we'd give it just as much attention as we give Dafur and Sierra Leone right now.

Posted by toldyouso21

Hi toldyouso21 - America needs oil. Our economy and welfare is dependant upon oil. Americans will not give-up cars or their jobs for lack of oil if we can get it elsewhere. When push comes to shove, most Americans will support a war when they feel their well-being is threatened. Let gas rise a couple of dollars and see how anxious American will be to get it from anywhere, even by war.

[toldyouso21]

.S. Shell in Danish-owned. So now they're in on the vast right-wing conspiracy plot too? Hurry! Call the New York Times, er, CBS news.

Posted by dem-dolts at 08:29 PM : Aug 14, 2007

Shell is NOT Danish owned and never has been. Like Aldis, Phillips Electronics--shell is DUTCH owned and always was.

As for the Iraqi oil agreement, it also provides for opening up decades long leases to foreign investment and locks Iraqis into a revenue pkg of foreign corporations choosing. It IS all about the oil. Just becauseoutput is low right now and profits not realized--does not mean it is not about the oil.

George Bush said it best in June when he stated that to leave Iraq now would leave the 3rd largest oil reserves in the world in potential terrorists' hands. This was in response to questions on why we must stay. If it was not about the oil we would not be in or care about the ME--we'd give it just as much attention as we give Dafur and Sierra Leone right now.

[dem-dolts]

~ Posted by j-whitman at 07:25 PM : Aug 14, 2007:
~ dem-dolts,,,, *******,

translation: "I'm can't respond intelligently so I'll start with an insult."

~ we wouldn't be in Iraq,
~ we would have totally defeted Al Queda in the
~ region within 3 years along with the Taliban ---

Just like the Russions did. Yeah, & pigs are now flying.

~ Now Al Queda has grown,

They grew long before Iraq. Bin Laden stated the reason he formed Al Qaeda in the first place was because Americans couldn't stomach casualties & that we would leave any theater they attacked us in given enough time, just as we did, he stated, in Vietnam, Beirut, Somalia & elsewhere.

~ Arabs are still the
~ suicide bombers,

...that Saddam Hussein no longer subsidizes with $10 to $20,000 to each "martyr" along with his long-standing terrorist training camps.

~ & shooters along with Iraq's
~ killing our troops.

Otherwise, it'd probly be the democrats.

~ ... Al Queda has gained more support & has
~ grown in North Africa, which we could haved
~ fought & defeted,, If we were not in Iraq.

So now you want to invade North Africa?

Cheers.

[dem-dolts]

~ Posted by j-whitman at 07:29 PM : Aug 14, 2007
~ dem-do,,, Seriously do you think Bush's Iraq
~ war is about terrorism ???? [...] ---- It's the oil,

Boy, Iraqi oil output has grown by leaps & bounds since the war began. Record low oil & gas prices are all the proof I need.

~ in which the White House still has directed the
~ future of Iraq's resources to Exxon Mobil,
~ Shell & Conoco Phillips for the next 30 years.

The Iraqi constitution that the U.S. helped push along makes nationalization of the oil industry permanent (hint: it's why we're trying to get the Iraqi parliament to pass an oil law to share the revenues among the Sunnis, Shia, & Kurds--oh, that's right, Exxon, Shell, & Conoco have all the parliamentarians held hostage in a secret location at the White House). You've spent too much time in the left-wing blogosphere.

Cheers.

P.S. Shell in Danish-owned. So now they're in on the vast right-wing conspiracy plot too? Hurry! Call the New York Times, er, CBS news.

[dem-dolts]

Posted by j-whitman at 07:25 PM : Aug 14, 2007:
dem-dolts,,,, *******,

translation: "I'm can't respond intelligently so I'll start with an insult."

we wouldn't be in Iraq,
we would have totally defeted Al Queda in the
region within 3 years along with the Taliban ---

Just like the Russions did. Yeah, & pigs are now flying.

Now Al Queda has grown,

They grew long before Iraq. Bin Laden stated the reason he formed Al Qaeda in the first place was because Americans couldn't stomach casualties & that we would leave any theater they attacked us in given enough time, just as we did, he stated, in Vietnam, Beirut, Somalia & elsewhere.

Arabs are still the
suicide bombers,

...that Saddam Hussein no longer subsidizes with $10 to $20,000 to each "maryr" along with his long-standing terrorist training camps.

& shooters along with Iraq's
killing our troops.

Otherwise, it'd probly be the democrats.

... Al Queda has gained more support & has
grown in North Africa, which we could haved
fought & defeted,, If we were not in Iraq.

So now you want to invade North Africa?

Cheers.

[donnie900]

I think I know why they separated church from state, Mr. Robertson.. I think I know why. Because they didn't want their religion to be represented by a lost election..

[donnie900]

And besides that, the faith ain't Israel. The faith is in my heart.. Its in my soul. Its not no *******.. cheap.. god damned neocon.

[donnie900]

This ain't the faith, j. The faith is real. This is a buncha ******* cheap carpetbagger politicians. Business men.. Who ain't got the sense God gave a god damned chicken. This ain't the faith, j.. This ain't even close to the faith. This is fancy talk, and skalywagg'n. This is cheap bullshyyt politicians.