Nearly two out of three Americans believe President George W. Bush’s plan to send 30,000 extra troops to Iraq has been a failure, according to the latest Newsweek poll.
The poll found that 64 percent of Americans believe his “surge” plan has failed so far, while only 22 percent see it as a success. Moreover, nearly seven in 10 Americans, or 68 percent, disapprove of the way Bush is handling the war while only 27 percent approve it. The public’s approval of Bush’s overall handling of the war has been below the 50 percent mark since February, 2004.
However, Americans are divided on withdrawing the 160,000 troops in Iraq. 19 percent, back an immediate withdrawal from the conflict, while 24 percent say a pullout should begin by the fall with all troops out by next spring.
Bush’s popularity remained low with only 29 percent approving his handling of his job as president while 64 percent disapprove.
The survey was conducted among 1,001 adults with a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.
Meanwhile, in recent weeks the Republicans have become increasingly critical of the war, leaving Bush with a more difficult path to continue combat, now in its fifth year. This development comes closely to a deeply divided US House of Representatives that voted anew to begin combat troop withdrawals within four months and complete them by April 1. The White House has made it clear that Bush would veto such a bill.