The President’s war strategy in Iraq is failing, two thirds of Americans believe.
There is overwhelming support for lowering the numbers of troops in Iraq, but only 20 percent of responders to a recent Newsweek poll favor a complete withdrawal.
Nearly seven in 10 (68 percent) Americans disapprove of the way the president is handling the war in Iraq. Public approval of the president’s handling of Iraq has remained below the 30 percent mark since January, when he announced his plans to increase the number of troops deployed there. (The public’s approval of Bush’s overall handling of the war has been below the 50 percent mark since February of 2004).
64 percent of Americans surveyed deem the recent troop surge to be a failure while only 22 percent say it’s been a success.
In the mean time, the President’s approval rating remains below 30 percent, but rose 3 points from an earlier poll a few weeks ago.
American’s remain cautious that an immediate and complete withdrawal from Iraq will leave the country in chaos and disarray. A phased, eventual withdrawal was what the vast majority of survey respondents favored.
The poll also found that in spite of people’s desire to leave Iraq, less than 30 percent of Americans “are somewhat or very confident that the Iraqi government is equipped to control sectarian violence and provide security to its citizens once troops pull out,” the survey found.
President Bush continues to call the war in Iraq a battle with al Qaeda, saying troop withdrawal would force “mass killings on a horrific scale.”
40 percent of the Newsweek poll blamed the President for the problems in Iraq with 33 percent blaming the Iraqi government.