Poll: Nearly Six In 10 Back Congressional Troop Withdrawal Deadline
One more time...attention, Congressional Dems: The American public has got your back when it comes to supporting a Congressionally-imposed deadline for withdrawal from Iraq. Check out this new poll that's just been released by Pew Research:
A solid majority of Americans say they want their congressional representative to support a bill calling for a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq by August 2008. Nearly six-in-ten (59%) say they would like to see their representative vote for such legislation, compared with just 33% who want their representative to oppose it.Democrats are united in their support of legislation calling for a U.S. troop withdrawal by August 2008, and most independents (61%) also favor this step. Most Republicans oppose this step, but there are substantial divisions within the GOP. More than four-in-ten moderate and liberal Republicans (44%) want their representative to vote for legislation calling for an August 2008 deadline for a troop withdrawal, compared with only about a quarter of conservative Republicans (26%).
However, the poll also has some sobering numbers for the Dem Congressional leadership, too:
While Democrats and Republicans disagree over what Congress should do about Iraq, there is bipartisan criticism of Congress's handling of the issue to date. Nearly three-quarters of Americans (73% -- including 77% of Republicans, 78% of independents and 66% of Democrats -- say Congress is doing only a fair or poor job dealing with Iraq. Just 22% say Congress has done an excellent (3%) or good job (19%) in this regard.For Democrats, much of this frustration is linked to the sense that Congress has too little influence on Iraq policy, and has not aggressively challenged President Bush's approach. Most Democrats (56%) believe that Congress should have "a lot of influence" over the direction of U.S. policy in Iraq, and an identical number says that Democratic leaders in Congress have not gone far enough in challenging George W. Bush's policies.
Without a full breakout of the questions, it's unclear to me whether that 56% of Dems who think Congress should have a "lot of influence" over Iraq policy wish that Dems institutionally should have more influence than they have, or whether Dems should be proactively doing more within the institutional constraints that exist, but nonetheless, the numbers are certainly noteworthy.
The Senate has just begun debating their own bill calling for withdrawal from Iraq. More soon.
But, just to play devil's advocate, just watch how those poll numbers change if the troops withdraw owing to the deadline and then things either (a) don't improve or (b) get worse.
The electorate can be fickle like that.
March 26, 2007 4:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, my Dad's one of those people who think the Democrats in Congress should have "a lot of influence". He's constantly complaining that "the Democrats should just cut off funding for the war". Yeah, Dad--just cut off funding. What could be easier? :)
March 26, 2007 4:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
No time to do the supporting dig at the moment, but ...
Hasn't an 18-month exit polled around 60 since, roughly, the beginning of time?
And hasn't a 6-month exit polled 25-30 since the beginning of time?
March 26, 2007 5:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
(a) The American public sees no improvement, only propoganda.
(b) getting worse, the longer we stay the more Americans die.
If Congress doesn't act soon the electorate is going to put a pox on both houses.
The bi- Partisan group, sent the report to the President, so that America could save face. We're past that now,
All I see is stubbornness, by an Administration, so haughty and arrogant to admit mistakes, the very ones who have no skin in the conflict, always obstructing, the saving of our children and parents, who were the volunteer Army.
This President and administration, along with it's lackies have placed the US at risk. What happens when the volunteer army is destroyed.How much support will the American people give if a draft were instituted? How many Americans would sacrifice their lives, for some pipe dream of Sunni's and Shiites living in perpetual bliss?
The new reality, If you want to go escapading around the world dying for nations, who have fought for centuries, returning home to find deplorable medical care, your wife and chidren grown up, after how many tours of duty. Then WE NEED YOU!
Join the guard, join the military.
If you want to see ugly, institute the draft. Then you'll see what Americans think about the war. It has nothing to do with fickle.
March 26, 2007 5:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
chuckie we need you to go to operation yellowelephant.com and help Karl and the General recruit Young Republicans into the Army. It's hard work and you'll be associating with some real scum of the earth (and I'm not talking about Karl and the General), but it's worth it. You just may be able to inspire, or shame some aspiring Dick Cheney or Karl Rove into being IED fodder. And chances
are even if they don't come back from Iraq in a box, they won't grow up to be chickenhawk yellow elephants.
March 26, 2007 6:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Since the House is responsible for initiating all funding bills, the Dems should just inform Bush that if he vetoes this one, the next one will have a shorter deadline.
March 26, 2007 9:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
SeeDee
What happens, chuckie, is...we just enlarge the contract with Blackwater corp.' and similar war for profit mercenary private contractors, officially declare American democracy 'dead'. and complete America's descent to ignominy.
Now that the military recruiters are soliciting the enlistment (and offering substantial amounts for sign-up) of felons, virtual illiterates, troubled youths (whose real needs are for decent counseling) and such, can't we all just imagine the release of these 'discharged' veterans, trained in the use of military weaponry, instructed in organizational skills, but still with no morals and little conscience as they return to civilian 'life' complete with drug gangs and new 'employment opportunities' in 'private security' firms.
The next phase of American 'politics' will likely involve hired armies (Blackwater type) by Republicans AND Democrats to help secure rally sites, convention gatherings, etc.
We saw the inception of this 'SA Brownshirt' mentality displayed by Bush organizers in 2004...it is apt to get worse, alas.
March 27, 2007 1:54 AM | Reply | Permalink