Iraq poll: still divided on withdrawal deadline
ABC NEWS/WASHINGTON POST POLL: BUSH, IRAQ AND CONGRESS EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE AFTER 5 p.m. Monday, April 16, 2007
Half Now Foresee U.S. Loss in Iraq; Public Divided on Withdrawal Deadline
A bare majority of Americans for the first time think the United =
States will lose the war in Iraq, and a new high =96 two-thirds =96 say it was not worth fighting. =
Yet the public divides on setting a deadline for withdrawal.
That mix of sentiments =96 unhappy with the war, unclear what to do =
about it =96 is keeping George W. Bush in deep disfavor. Just 35 percent approve of his job =
performance overall, a scant two points above his career low. And just 29 percent like how =
he=92s dealing with the situation in Iraq.
Moreover, in a shift, most Americans in this ABC News/Washington Post =
poll now reject Bush=92s argument that winning in Iraq is necessary to win the broader =
war against terrorism. Fifty-seven percent disagree with that contention, up from =
47 percent in January. That echoes a change that appeared in January and continues =
today, in which most (56 percent) now favor eventual withdrawal even if civil order =
is not restored.
Yet, given pro and con arguments (avoiding further casualties vs. =
potentially encouraging Iraqi insurgents), a pullout deadline is not broadly popular. The =
public divides about evenly, 51-48 percent, on setting any deadline. It=92s about the same =
specifically on the effort by congressional Democrats to force withdrawal by no later =
than August 2008.