washington · A majority of Americans favor setting a fixed timetable for bringing troops home from Iraq and just 12 percent would support a plan to increase troop strength, an option under serious consideration by the military, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.
A month after midterm elections that switched control of Congress to the Democrats, respondents expressed low confidence in President Bush's ability to resolve the conflict in Iraq.
By a hefty margin they said Iraq should be the top priority for the new Congress, with a plurality of 45 percent saying they had more trust in Democrats to handle the war.
Only 34 percent said they had more confidence in the president, who has rejected the idea of setting any timetable for withdrawing troops.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-apoll13dec13,0,646400.story?coll=sfla-news-nationworldAmericans Hit `New Level of Discontent' Over Iraq, Poll Finds By Heidi Przybyla
Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) -- The American public has abandoned President George W. Bush on the Iraq war and is looking to Congress for a way out that includes a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops, according to a Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll.
The national survey shows a disaffected public that has grown more sour about the conflict since September, with only about one in seven believing Bush's claim that the U.S. is winning in Iraq.
More than half of Americans want to set a schedule to withdraw all troops, a significant change from September, when 44 percent said the U.S. should stay as long as it takes. ``There is a new level of discontent'' over the war, said Susan Pinkus, the Times polling director. ``It's hurting the economy and it's hurting other issues. This is all the president can concentrate on.''
By better than 2-to-1 margins, the public supports two key recommendations of an independent bipartisan panel called the Iraq Study Group. The panel's report called for direct U.S. negotiations with Iran and Syria about the future of Iraq and possibly withholding economic and military support from the Iraqi government unless it makes progress on political reforms and national reconciliation.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aGWq2q3omeKg