The limits of defeatism
Paul Mirengoff

These poll results [.pdf link] suggest that, apart from the irresponsibility of their position on the merits, the Democrats' defeatist approach to Iraq may not be a winning political strategy. In fact, the Dems' approach may be a dubious political strategy precisely because of its weakness on the merits.

According to the survey, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, 57 percent of Americans say “The Iraq War is a key part of the global war on terrorism.” 57 percent also “support finishing the job in Iraq, that is, keeping the troops there until the Iraqi government can maintain control and provide security for its people."

Moreover, 56 percent believe that “Even if they have concerns about his war policies, Americans should stand behind the President in Iraq because we are at war.” And 53 percent believe “The Democrats are going too far, too fast in pressing the President to withdraw the troops from Iraq.”

In the same poll, 60 percent predict that Iraq probably will never be a stable democracy and 60 percent disapprove of the job President Bush is doing. Yet, unlike most Democrats, they are willing and able to distinguish between these issues and the matter of what we should do going forward in Iraq.

Via Outside the Beltway

JOHN adds: ...

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Iraq War Attitudes
James Joyner

Public Opinion Strategies* has released a survey [PDF file here] of likely voters’ attitudes toward the Iraq War that finds that most voters think the country is going in the wrong direction (67%) and President Bush is doing a poor job (60%), and that Iraq will never be a stable democracy (60%). No real surprises there, right?

Here are some pretty interesting numbers, though, given those and other indications** that the survey isn’t biased toward President Bush:

• 57% believe “The Iraq War is a key part of the global war on terrorism.”
• 57% “support finishing the job in Iraq, that is, keeping the troops there until the Iraqi government can maintain control and provide security for its people.
• 50% want our troops should stay and “do whatever it takes to restore order until the Iraqis can govern and provide security to their country” while only 17% favor immediate withdrawal
• 56% believe “Even if they have concerns about his war policies, Americans should stand behind the President in Iraq because we are at war.”
• 53% believe “The Democrats are going too far, too fast in pressing the President to withdraw the troops from Iraq.”

I’m not quite sure what to make of these numbers, to be honest. Part of it is the expected “rally ’round the flag effect,” I suppose, although that should redound to Bush’s benefit. We know that the opposite is true: the mess in Iraq is largely responsible for driving down his job approval.

Clearly, though, a strong majority of Americans think this war is essential despite thinking it unwinnable and are uncomfortable with too much criticism of a wartime commander-in-chief even though they themselves oppose the war in question.

UPDATE: Some quotes from a formal press release: ...

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Poll: Americans believe We should
stand behind President Bush during Wartime
Kim Priestap

Drudge has a flash report about a poll by Public Opinion Strategies that shows the American people want to win the war in Iraq. The numbers also show that the Democrats are actually working against the will of the American people. This is startling to say the least since the Democrats and the media are so thoroughly negative in their view of Iraq that they both give the impression the American people don't support the war and want out of Iraq immediately, too. Here's the report as it's posted on Drudge. I bolded the results that I thought were particularly significant:

[...]

In spite of the media's overwhelmingly negative reporting on Iraq, the left's rooting for failure, and the characterization that Bush's war is a quagmire and we need to get out fast, the American people, according to this poll done by a respectable polling company, want to win in Iraq and believe we can win in Iraq. They apparently have not bought into the Bush is Hitler mentality as the left has hoped.

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A new poll out today....
antimedia

....seems to put the lie to the get out of Iraq now meme that pervades the left and the media.

[...]

The results of the poll are startling — dramatically different than previous poll results. However, the questions asked are significantly different as well.

[...]

When you compare these questions to the ones asked in other polls it's no wonder this one seems so completely different. The bias in the questions from the other polls is obvious when you compare them side by side.

I don't put much stock in polls, and this is the reason. The poll results depend entirely upon the questions asked.

For example, ...