Jan. 20, 2007 - When President George W. Bush declared earlier this month that the only way to quell sectarian violence in Iraq was to send more than 20,000 additional American troops, he probably knew the move would be unpopular. Indeed, the latest NEWSWEEK poll finds that Bush’s call for a “surge” in troops is opposed by two-thirds (68 percent) of Americans and supported by only a quarter (26 percent). Almost half of all respondents (46 percent) want to see American troops pulled out “as soon as possible.”
Bush’s Iraq plan isn’t doing anything for his personal approval rating either; it’s again stuck at its lowest point in the history of the poll (31 percent). Meanwhile, the new Democratic-controlled Congress is getting relatively high marks. And 55 percent actually trust Congressional Dems on U.S. policy in Iraq, far more than the 32 percent who trust their commander in chief.
While Democrats and Republicans have roundly criticized Bush’s proposal, the president—who received his lowest ratings so far for his handling of the war (24 percent) and terrorism (41 percent)—told a group of U.S. television stations this week that "I believe it will work.” He is in the minority. Nearly half of all respondents to the NEWSWEEK poll (45 percent) say they “strongly oppose” the plan. Nine in 10 Democrats (92 percent), 70 percent of independents and close to a third (31 percent) of Republicans disapprove.
Specifically, majorities of respondents expressed doubt that the proposal will reduce violence in Baghdad (53 percent) or buy enough time for sectarian groups to hammer out a settlement (59 percent). In fact, more than two-thirds (67 percent) think it is either “very” or “somewhat” likely to lead to more U.S. casualties in Iraq without getting the U.S. closer to its goals there. Still, almost half (45 percent) don’t want to see the United States beat too hasty a retreat. They prefer to maintain troop levels in Iraq for “at least another year or two” to give the Iraqis more time to settle their differences and reach a political settlement, even though only 27 percent of those polled are “very or somewhat” confident that Iraqis would be able to control the violence and provide their own security. Two-thirds (67 percent) of those interviewed think that the United States is losing ground in its efforts to establish security and democracy in Iraq and only 23 percent favor additional troops at this time.
There is still more bad news for the president in the poll: Sixty-two percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country. For the first time, more than half of the respondents (53 percent) disapprove of his approach to deterring terrorism. More than half of the public thinks he is not “honest and ethical” (54 percent) and lacks “strong leadership qualities” (57 percent). Just before the last election, 55 percent said Bush was honest and 63 percent saw him as a strong leader.
As Bush’s public image continues to tarnish, the new Democratic congress appears to have made a good first impression. Respondents give House Speaker Nancy Pelosi largely favorable (36 percent to 23 percent) ratings and also agree by a nearly two-to-one margin (43 percent to 24 percent) that the Democrats are keeping promises they made during their campaigns. Still, the Dems remain an unknown quantity to many voters. Nearly a third (32 percent) said they “didn’t know” if they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion about Pelosi. And while the public trusts Democrats more than Bush on Iraq policy, the NEWSWEEK poll found a 46-46 split on whether or not the Congress should try to block the additional funding Bush needs to pay for more troops in Iraq.
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The NEWSWEEK poll, conducted Wednesday, Jan. 17, through Thursday, Jan. 18, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. In conducting the poll, Princeton Survey Research Associates International interviewed 1,003 adults aged 18 and older.
There are two striking details that I find interesting in this poll. The first is that the Democratic Congress poll numbers are improving. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is getting favorable ratings of 36 percent to 23 percent. The American public believes that the Democrats are keeping their promises with a favorable rating of 43 percent to 24 percent. These are impressive poll numbers for this first month that the Democrats have been in power.
The second detail I find interesting is how President Bush's personal ratings are now dropping--More than half of the public thinks he is not “honest and ethical” (54 percent) and lacks “strong leadership qualities” (57 percent). Just before the last election, 55 percent said Bush was honest and 63 percent saw him as a strong leader. The American public no longer views Bush as an honest or strong leader. It is bad enough that his job approval ratings are tanking, but now his personal ratings are tanking. And yet, the president continues his PR-spin of selling his surge plan to an American public and a Congress that is completely opposed to it. Here is a president who has lost the trust and respect of the American people.
Then again, why even bother trying to sell this surge plan? The president is going to escalate the war regardless of what the American public believes in.
What do you expect from King George?
Here are the details of the Newsweek poll.
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