Poll: Most Say Bush Iraq Plan Falls Short
Most Americans continue to want troops to start coming home from Iraq, and most say the plan President Bush announced last week for troop reductions doesn't go far enough, according to a CBS News poll released Monday.
While the president spoke of a long-term commitment to Iraq in his nationally televised address, a time frame longer than two years is not acceptable to most Americans. Still, most of those polled expect large numbers of U.S. troops to remain in Iraq for many years to come.
Sixty-eight percent of Americans say that U.S. troop levels in Iraq should either be reduced or that all troops should be removed - similar numbers to those before Mr. Bush's speech.
U.S. TROOP LEVELS IN IRAQ SHOULD BE…?
Now
Increased
6%
Kept same
21%
Reduced
39%
Remove all troops
29%
Pre-speech, 9/4-8/2007
Increased
11%
Kept same
19%
Reduced
35%
Remove all troops
30%
Nearly half want Mr. Bush to remove even more troops by next summer than he proposed in his address. Forty-seven percent say the plan to bring troop numbers down to pre-surge levels next year should go even further.
The poll also found that despite optimistic assessments of the U.S. troop surge by Mr. Bush and Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Americans are unconvinced that the surge is working.
Only about one in three (31 percent) said the surge has made things in Iraq better, while more than half (51 percent) say it's had no impact. Eleven percent say it's made things worse.
Overall, Americans remain pessimistic about the war. Just 34 percent think things are going well for the U.S. in Iraq, while 63 percent say things are going badly - about the same as before the president's speech.
More than half of Americans (55 percent) believe that success in Iraq is unlikely, and nearly two-thirds (65 percent) think Mr. Bush's assessments of the situation there are too rosy.
There is no greater appetite for that kind of long-term troop commitment now: just 22 percent would accept U.S. troops staying in Iraq for two years or more. Seventy-two percent want troops to remain there for less than two years.
There's a wide gap in the poll between what Americans would like to see happen, and what they think will happen. Just 34 percent think U.S. troops will be in Iraq for less than two years; most think they will be there longer.
KEEPING LARGE NUMBERS OF TROOPS IN IRAQ:
Want
Less than a year
49%
One to two years
23%
Two to five years
12%
Longer than five years
5%
Expect
Less than a year
10%
One to two years
24%
Two to five years
31%
Longer than five years
27%
The gap between hopes and expectations exists among Republicans, as well as Democrats. Forty-nine percent of Republicans are willing for troops to stay in Iraq two years or longer, but far more, 67 percent, expect them to remain that long.
President Bush's overall job approval rating remains at 29 percent, similar to what it was a week ago. His rating on handling the war in Iraq is holding at 25 percent.
Congressional Democrats don't fare much better on Iraq: just 31 percent approve of the way Democrats handling the war. Twenty-seven percent of Americans approve of the way Congress is handling its job overall, up slightly from last week.
On another topic, the poll found that Americans continue to lose confidence that the government will capture Osama bin Laden. In the wake of a new videotape from the terrorist leader, just 39 percent of Americans are now confident the U.S. will capture or kill him. A majority is not confident that will happen.
In October 2001, just after the 9/11 attacks, 70 percent were confident the U.S. would catch bin Laden.
This poll was conducted among a random sample of 706 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone September 14-16, 2007. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus four percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. While the president spoke of a long-term commitment to Iraq in his nationally televised address, a time frame longer than two years is not acceptable to most Americans. Still, most of those polled expect large numbers of U.S. troops to remain in Iraq for many years to come.
Sixty-eight percent of Americans say that U.S. troop levels in Iraq should either be reduced or that all troops should be removed - similar numbers to those before Mr. Bush's speech.
U.S. TROOP LEVELS IN IRAQ SHOULD BE…?
Now
Increased
6%Kept same
21% Reduced
39% Remove all troops
29% Pre-speech, 9/4-8/2007
Increased
11%Kept same
19% Reduced
35% Remove all troops
30% Nearly half want Mr. Bush to remove even more troops by next summer than he proposed in his address. Forty-seven percent say the plan to bring troop numbers down to pre-surge levels next year should go even further.
The poll also found that despite optimistic assessments of the U.S. troop surge by Mr. Bush and Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Americans are unconvinced that the surge is working.
Only about one in three (31 percent) said the surge has made things in Iraq better, while more than half (51 percent) say it's had no impact. Eleven percent say it's made things worse.
Overall, Americans remain pessimistic about the war. Just 34 percent think things are going well for the U.S. in Iraq, while 63 percent say things are going badly - about the same as before the president's speech.
More than half of Americans (55 percent) believe that success in Iraq is unlikely, and nearly two-thirds (65 percent) think Mr. Bush's assessments of the situation there are too rosy.
A CBS News/New York Times poll released just before the president's speech found only one in five Americans were willing to allow U.S. troops to remain in Iraq for more than two years.
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There is no greater appetite for that kind of long-term troop commitment now: just 22 percent would accept U.S. troops staying in Iraq for two years or more. Seventy-two percent want troops to remain there for less than two years.
There's a wide gap in the poll between what Americans would like to see happen, and what they think will happen. Just 34 percent think U.S. troops will be in Iraq for less than two years; most think they will be there longer.
KEEPING LARGE NUMBERS OF TROOPS IN IRAQ:
Want
Less than a year
49%One to two years
23% Two to five years
12%Longer than five years
5%Expect
Less than a year
10%One to two years
24% Two to five years
31%Longer than five years
27%The gap between hopes and expectations exists among Republicans, as well as Democrats. Forty-nine percent of Republicans are willing for troops to stay in Iraq two years or longer, but far more, 67 percent, expect them to remain that long.
President Bush's overall job approval rating remains at 29 percent, similar to what it was a week ago. His rating on handling the war in Iraq is holding at 25 percent.
Congressional Democrats don't fare much better on Iraq: just 31 percent approve of the way Democrats handling the war. Twenty-seven percent of Americans approve of the way Congress is handling its job overall, up slightly from last week.
On another topic, the poll found that Americans continue to lose confidence that the government will capture Osama bin Laden. In the wake of a new videotape from the terrorist leader, just 39 percent of Americans are now confident the U.S. will capture or kill him. A majority is not confident that will happen.
In October 2001, just after the 9/11 attacks, 70 percent were confident the U.S. would catch bin Laden.
This poll was conducted among a random sample of 706 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone September 14-16, 2007. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus four percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher.
the resumption of hostilities was only a matter of time since iraq broke the ceasefire agreement.....
blame saddam for iraq%u2026%u2026. Even clintoon and the dems wanted the resumption of hostilities back in 1998
"We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
"Iraq''''s search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power." - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
Moreover, no international law can prevent the United States from taking actions to protect its vital interests, when it is manifestly clear that there is a choice to be made between law and survival. I believe, however, that such a choice is not presented in the case of Iraq. Indeed, should we decide to proceed, that action can be justified within the framework of international law rather than outside it. In fact, though a new UN resolution may be helpful in building international consensus, the existing resolutions from 1991 are sufficient from a legal standpoint. - Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/gore/gore092302sp.html
Anyone, except those that would like to see this nation go even more bankrupt?
$4-billion a week. Great job.
and these fascist nazi terrorislamic muslim collaborators
Vote out Warner, Byrd, Stevens, Reid, Kennedy, and all others, regardless of party, who have served at least two terms.
This country needs a fresh approach to the myriad problems facing us in the 21st century.
Do your political homework.
The candidates are doing a lot of yelling these days. Except maybe Huckabee and McCain.
I think Huckabee warrents attention. Maybe Edwards. I don''t think Hillary, Thompson, Guil(however you spell it), Obama or any of the Kennedys have the answer.
I would vote for Colin Powell in a heart beat.
dnc are like john adams and want to give the jihadist their lunch money hoping they will leave us alone....
gop are like thomas jefferson and want to spend their lunch money on weapons and go kick the jihadists in their arses.....
What Thomas Jefferson learned from the Muslim book of jihad
Thomas Jefferson knew about fascist nazi islam..... he killed plenty of them....
In 1786 Jefferson and John Adams went to negotiate with Tripoli''s envoy to London, Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman or (Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja). They asked him by what right he extorted money and took slaves. Jefferson reported to Secretary of State John Jay, and to the Congress:
The ambassador answered us that [the right] was founded on the Laws of the Prophet (Mohammed), that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have answered their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Mussulman who should be slain in battle was sure to go to heaven.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Barbary_War
http://www.usvetdsp.com/jan07/jeff_quran.htm
muslim justifies slavery and piracy%u2026
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?6bdec278-6a71-4436-bc4d-29d1c54b0ad7