E&P: As New Talk of Sending More Troops to Iraq Builds, Poll Shows Most Americans Want a Pullout [View All]

[DeepModem Mom]

Editor&Publisher: As New Talk of Sending More Troops to Iraq Builds, Poll Shows Most Americans Want a Pullout
By E&P Staff
Published: December 06, 2006

.... where does the public currently stand on the issue of withdrawals?...A good indication arrives today with release of the first post-election poll from the much-respected Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA), through its WorldPublicOpinion.

Their numbers show that 58% of Americans want a withdrawal of all U.S. troops on a set timeline, with 18% desiring this within six months, 25% within a year, 15% within two years.

If the Iraqi government heeded the wishes of most of its own citizens (as shown by polls in that country) and demanded a U.S. pulllout in one year, 77% of Americans -- including nearly 3 in 4 Republicans -- would back the idea. A poll of the Iraqi public conducted by WorldPublicOpinion in September 2006 found that 71% want U.S.-led forces to commit to withdraw within a year.

"The poll shows that the attitudes of the U.S. public are consistent with several key proposals reportedly endorsed by the Iraq Study Group," the PIPA report states. This includes strong majority support for an international conference on Iraq and, separately, talking to the Syrians and Iranians....

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By an almost 2 to 1 margin (60% to 35%), respondents believe U.S. forces in Iraq are now more of a "provoking" than a "stablizing" force....

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003493365