Battle for hearts and minds at home: While the political debate over the administration’s Iraq policy is heating up, the Busheviks’ insistence on staying the course is not swaying the electorate. Americans remain about evenly split over whether we should be there at all and whether we should pull out. The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted among 1,502 adults Dec. 7-11 found:
- Fully 61% of the public believes that progress is being made in training Iraqi forces, while nearly as many (58%) see progress being achieved in establishing a democracy in Iraq. But on balance, more Americans say the U.S. is losing ground in reducing civilian casualties and preventing a civil war.
- The nearly even division in the public over whether to keep troops in Iraq obscures a more complicated set of opinions about what to do next. Most of those who say they want the troops home “as soon as possible” apparently do not mean “now.” And not everyone who wants the U.S. to stay is opposed to setting a timetable for a troop withdrawal. Americans also are wary about consequences of a quick withdrawal – 58% say terrorist organizations will become stronger if the United States withdraws its forces soon.
- There is modest optimism that tomorrow’s elections in Iraq will lead to a more stable situation in the country. Roughly four-in-10 (37%) express that opinion; that is significantly greater than the percentages who said that before previous balloting in Iraq, in October and last January (29% each).
The survey also shows that President Bush’s approval ratings have not improved. Just 38% approve of his job performance which is little changed from November (36%). Only about three-in-10 (28%) say he has a clear plan for bringing the situation in Iraq to a successful conclusion.
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