Support for President and the War is Up
Public support for the war in Iraq, on the downswing since establishing the peace there turned messy, has climbed back to its highest level since August, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows. (Related link: Poll results)
Political analysts suggest the positive impact from President Bush's surprise Thanksgiving Day trip to Iraq and a relatively low level of U.S. deaths over the past two weeks might be driving the rise. But they note that injuries to 61 U.S. soldiers Tuesday by two suicide bombers in Iraq might trigger reassessments.
"Thanksgiving looked like a happy reunion. The latest bombings jolt people back to reality," Democratic pollster Mark Mellman said.
Six in 10 approved of the decision to go to war and a similar six in 10 said the situation in Iraq was worth going to war over. Those are the highest levels of support since August, when attacks against U.S. troops began escalating and public support started to decline.
The poll was taken last weekend, little more than a week after the president's trip to Iraq, where he was cheered by troops and received extensive coverage in the news media. In the aftermath, the growing clamor to remove U.S. troops from Iraq has subsided. The poll found that 42% favored withdrawing some or all troops, the lowest level since a high of 57% favored withdrawals in October.
At the same time, Bush's overall job-approval rating rose to 55% from a pre-Thanksgiving 50%, which was equal to the lowest in his presidency.
Get the rest of the USA Today story.
Matt's Chat
National security and the war are going to be the two key issues in the coming election. These numbers are very encouraging...Mark's Remarks
Can see the Dims putting their fingers in their ears and saying, "it's not true! It's not true! It's not true!" While they turn on their hamster wheels and eat their own young.
