Poll: Americans Optimistic About Iraq

CBS News/NY Times Survey Finds Most Feel Things Going Well In Iraq But Want Troops Out In 16 Months

(CBS)  Americans are more optimistic about the situation in Iraq than they have been since 2003, a new CBS News/New York Times poll finds, with 63 percent saying that things are going well for the United States in the country.

Less than two years ago, just 22 percent said things were going well.

The improved perceptions do not mean Americans want U.S. troops to stay in Iraq, however: Seventy-eight percent believe it is important that troops leave the country within President Obama’s timeline of 16 months, with 46 percent saying it is very important they do so.

---

Poll: Americans Optimistic About Iraq
Poll: Public Favorable on Michelle Obama
Poll: Public Wary Of More Bailouts

---

Following Mr. Obama’s lead, Americans are increasingly turning their attention to Afghanistan. Thirty-five percent say Afghanistan is the foreign policy area President Obama and Congress should focus on most - nearly the same percentage as say Iraq should be the top priority.

And support for higher troop levels in Afghanistan is increasing. Forty-two percent say troop levels should be increased, up from 34 percent in January. President Obama has called for higher troop levels in Afghanistan and announced last week that an additional 17,000 troops would be deployed in the country.

The president has indicated that his administration is reviewing the Bush-era policy of forbidding the public from seeing images of soldiers’ caskets coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. There is wide support for reversing the policy, with 69 percent saying the public should be allowed to see the caskets.

While Sen. Patrick Leahy and some other members of Congress have called for an investigation of the Bush administration, most Americans do not favor such an effort. Only 37 percent say Congress should hold hearings into whether or not crimes were committed by the Justice Department while Mr. Bush was in office, while 58 percent say hearings are not necessary.

President Obama has not embraced the idea of hearings, saying he is “more interested in looking forward than I am in looking backwards.”

Americans are suspicious of the motives of Democratic members of Congress who want to investigate the administration, with 68 percent say they want to do so for political reasons. Twenty-seven percent say Democrats are seeking hearings because laws were broken.

There is little support for immediate military intervention in Iran. Just 13 percent say the U.S. should undertake military action now, while 58 percent say the situation in Iran can be contained through diplomacy. An additional 19 percent say Iran is not a threat at this time.

---

This poll was conducted among a random sample of 1,112 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone February 18-22 2009. Phone numbers were dialed from RDD samples of both standard land-lines and cell phones. 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.

This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

[ltnichols1]

Of course we're optimistic, the war is already won.
What's funny is that everyone who was wrong about Iraq is already presenting the same doom, gloom and false arguments about Afghanistan. Yes, we can win there, too. The Iraq victory will actually help quite a bit, the Army is already focused on counter-insurgency.
Of course, we could lose in Afghanistan, if this administration makes the wrong moves.

[BigJay48]

Where are Code Pink?????? Soldiers are still dying!!!!!!! It's OK now because Obama is President????? I think not. OBTW Obama just said that he will keep 50 thousand troops in Iraq indefinatly. The next 100 years???? Seems so.

[promaclaura]

Very scary, but necessary. Al Queda''s best and brightest are among the Taliban in the north, and they''ve already managed to get the Pakistani govt. to allow the north to enforce Islamic law. How safe are the nukes, and how many Taliban/Al Queda operatives are among Pakistan''s military?

It''s beyond scary, but we can''t just leave now. But, as I said, I fear the American people won''t understand this, and will just want the troops home.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by News2Me63 at 08:21 PM : Feb 23, 2009

Very true and many will not have the will to take on the Taliban in Pakistan. I think that this is paramount (for Prez Obama) in respect to the nukes and who is in charge of them. I knew those Madrassa schools were trouble years ago. Breeding grounds for extremists and they wonder why they have jihad problems as they continue the brainwashing.

[news2me63]

Since when is an oil war a winnable war?


----------------------------------
----------------------------------------
------

Posted by quickthought at 07:41 PM : Feb 23, 2009
+ report abuse


********

when you go to a gas station..and there is gas for you to buy....MEANS ITS WORTH IT

Posted by inDAmiddle
________
How much Iraqi oil does the U.S. buy? If we do purchase Iraqi oil, how did this war affect it's availablity or pricing?

[news2me63]

Bush bungled the war very badly in the beginning because he listened to Cheney/Rumsfeld.

But he did get it right finally. The surge worked.

Obama can claim NO credit for this. None. Zilch. In fact he still won''t admit he was wrong about this. Wasn''t that one of the big things that people hated about Bush

I''m not a Bush supporter, just a guy stating the obvious..

Posted by opedanderson
_______
You over simplify the situation by just saying the surge worked. The country is not stable, just today 3 more U.S. servicemen lost their lives, as well as their interpreter.

The true story of success in Iraq won't be told until the Iraqis are protecting themselves, both from Iranian influence and from themselves.

[indamiddle]

Since when is an oil war a winnable war?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by quickthought at 07:41 PM : Feb 23, 2009
+ report abuse


********

when you go to a gas station..and there is gas for you to buy....MEANS ITS WORTH IT

[news2me63]

Interesting thoughts. I am very leery of Pakistan and I''m glad you responded the way you did. I''m not sure other''s would have been willing to spread the war on the ground into Pakistan to chase the Taliban. I believe that the only way to win Afghanistan would be addressing Pakistan, and that this was the case back in 2001. Very scary now though.

Posted by promaclaura
______
Very scary, but necessary. Al Queda's best and brightest are among the Taliban in the north, and they've already managed to get the Pakistani govt. to allow the north to enforce Islamic law. How safe are the nukes, and how many Taliban/Al Queda operatives are among Pakistan's military?

It's beyond scary, but we can't just leave now. But, as I said, I fear the American people won't understand this, and will just want the troops home.

[opedanderson]

Bush bungled the war very badly in the beginning because he listened to Cheney/Rumsfeld.

But he did get it right finally. The surge worked.

Obama can claim NO credit for this. None. Zilch. In fact he still won't admit he was wrong about this. Wasn't that one of the big things that people hated about Bush

I'm not a Bush supporter, just a guy stating the obvious..

[promaclaura]

YES! I did want our troops to go into Pakistan. But, Musharaf''s hold on the Govt. and military in Pakistan was precarious at best at the time. What we needed was a larger presence on the gound in Afghanistan, not to invade Iraq for no REAL reason.

My fear now is that Americans are war weary and won''t want to get the people who attacked us, and keep them from future attacks.

And the current Pakistani govt. is allowing American troops to train there troops, which is huge, IMO. What we need to do is stay the original course, and not be afraid to do so in the wake of a failed Iraq war, and a failed Bush Afghanistan plan.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by News2Me63 at 08:00 PM : Feb 23, 2009

Interesting thoughts. I am very leery of Pakistan and I'm glad you responded the way you did. I'm not sure other's would have been willing to spread the war on the ground into Pakistan to chase the Taliban. I believe that the only way to win Afghanistan would be addressing Pakistan, and that this was the case back in 2001. Very scary now though.

[news2me63]

But you think Afghanistan/Pakistan is winnable? I believe we DO have a better chance in Iraq than in Afghanistan. The General in charge in Afghanistan said we could be there up to five years, protecting the villagers from the Taliban. It WILL be occupation for quite awhile if Pakistan (breeding ground for Taliban)is not taken care of. You must have wanted Bush to go into Pakistan right? That is where they all fled and multiplied.
Posted by promaclaura
_______
YES! I did want our troops to go into Pakistan. But, Musharaf's hold on the Govt. and military in Pakistan was precarious at best at the time. What we needed was a larger presence on the gound in Afghanistan, not to invade Iraq for no REAL reason.

My fear now is that Americans are war weary and won't want to get the people who attacked us, and keep them from future attacks.

And the current Pakistani govt. is allowing American troops to train there troops, which is huge, IMO. What we need to do is stay the original course, and not be afraid to do so in the wake of a failed Iraq war, and a failed Bush Afghanistan plan.

[promaclaura]

If this was an oil war, where in the he.l.l is the oil, or profits?

This was an avenge ma daddy''s name war. And EVERY reason that was given by G.H.W.B to NOT go into Baghdad then are coming true now.

This isn''t winnable.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by News2Me63 at 07:43 PM : Feb 23, 2009

But you think Afghanistan/Pakistan is winnable? I believe we DO have a better chance in Iraq than in Afghanistan. The General in charge in Afghanistan said we could be there up to five years, protecting the villagers from the Taliban. It WILL be occupation for quite awhile if Pakistan (breeding ground for Taliban)is not taken care of. You must have wanted Bush to go into Pakistan right? That is where they all fled and multiplied.

[secundus2]

CBS's graph of public opinion shows why polls cannot be a stable basis for any policy, especially for declaring or conducting war.

[news2me63]

Yes, we have done a great job of building a democracy in Iraq. That is why I just heard the testimony of a man in Iraq who left Islam and converted to Christianity. He was arrested, beaten, hung upside down and electrocuted everyday for seven months. When will America realize that democracy and Islam are mutually exclusive ideologies. The Iraqis will never ever be a friend of America.

There is a war coming. It is a clash of cultures and it will be a conflict of monumental proportion. In preparation, Obama wants to start Carterizing the military. There is already talk of scrapping the F-22 Raptor and the F-35, the two greatest planes the world has ever seen.

Posted by one4gipper
______
Go sharpen your knives and clean your guns. OMG!

[one4gipper]

Yes, we have done a great job of building a democracy in Iraq. That is why I just heard the testimony of a man in Iraq who left Islam and converted to Christianity. He was arrested, beaten, hung upside down and electrocuted everyday for seven months. When will America realize that democracy and Islam are mutually exclusive ideologies. The Iraqis will never ever be a friend of America.

There is a war coming. It is a clash of cultures and it will be a conflict of monumental proportion. In preparation, Obama wants to start Carterizing the military. There is already talk of scrapping the F-22 Raptor and the F-35, the two greatest planes the world has ever seen.

[news2me63]

Since when is an oil war a winnable war?

Posted by quickthought
_______
If this was an oil war, where in the he.l.l is the oil, or profits?

This was an avenge ma daddy's name war. And EVERY reason that was given by G.H.W.B to NOT go into Baghdad then are coming true now.

This isn't winnable.

[quickthought]

Since when is an oil war a winnable war?

[news2me63]

Iraq is a success story thanks to President Bush and the men and women of the U.S. Armed forces.

And no thanks the the Democrats and that jerk Obama.

Posted by CBSisPravda1
_______
Iraq is not a success, you NeoCon. And this war was a MISTAKE! Bush took his eye off the ball, and put our military in harms way over LIES!!

The ball was in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Now the Taliban and Al Queda have grown stronger.

[hetup-2009]

Gob Bless President Obama. A gift from the lord of hosts.

[hetup-2009]

I think it would be good to get out of Irag, let Iran take the country over. I also think it is time for Israel to move over and open there land to anyone who wants to come there. The usa (lower case intentional) needs to bring the military home now, we are being invaded by Mexico, it is serious, Mexicans go home!

[cbsispravda1]

Iraq is a success story thanks to President Bush and the men and women of the U.S. Armed forces.

And no thanks the the Democrats and that jerk Obama.