Washington Post/ABC News Poll: Majority Now Say Afghan War Not Worth Fighting

Majority: Afghan war's not worth it
Poll: Americans' mood sours on Afghan war
Majority in Post-ABC survey now say conflict not worth fighting
By Jennifer Agiesta and Jon Cohen
Washington Post
August 19, 2009

A majority of Americans now see the war in Afghanistan as not worth fighting and just a quarter say more U.S. troops should be sent to the country, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Most have confidence in the ability of the United States to meet its primary goals — defeating the Taliban, facilitating effective economic development and molding an honest and effective Afghan government — but very few say Thursday's elections there are likely to produce such a government.

When it comes to the baseline question, 42 percent of Americans say the U.S. is winning in Afghanistan; about as many, 36 percent, say it is losing the fight.

The new poll comes amid widespread speculation that the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, will request more troops for his stepped-up effort to root the Taliban from Afghan towns and villages. That is a position that gets the backing of 24 percent of those polled, while nearly twice as many, 45 percent, want to decrease the number of military forces there. (Most of the remainder say to keep the level about the same.)

Little support for troop boost

Overall, seven in 10 Democrats say the war has not been worth its costs, and fewer than one in five support an increase in troop levels. Nearly two-thirds of the most committed Democrats now feel "strongly" that the war was not worth fighting. Among moderate and conservative Democrats, a slim majority say the United States is losing in Afghanistan.
Among all adults, 51 percent now say the war is not worth fighting, up six points since last month and four points above the previous high, reached in February. Less than half, 47 percent, say the war is worth its costs. Those strongly opposed (41 percent) outweigh strong proponents (31 percent).

Please read the complete article at:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32482808/ns/politics-washington_post

Just get out and let them sort things out among themselves. If Afghanistan wants to be ruled by the Taliban and grow opium, let them.

have been having a proxy war in Afghanistan. Those two need to be dealt with by the international community.

Or else.

We have been there 8 years already and have not destroyed Alqueda the Taliban or killed Bin Laden. Will sending 30,000 more troops help? If we escalate the war in Afganistan the Iraq war needs to end a lot sooner.

Obama has been "Mesmerized " by gates.

Or maybe hypnotized is a better word.

The trillion dollars spent on the cluster-fuck in Iraq continues to grow daily.