(LAT poll)Set Iraq timetable, most say

[maddezmom]

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.

more:http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-apoll13dec13,0,646400.story?coll=sfla-news-nationworld

Americans 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.

more:http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aGWq2q3omeKg

[Selatius]

1. There appears to be a disconnect between Congress and the people.

The Washington Consensus is that we should not set a timetable for withdrawal. People like Dennis Kucinich are ahead of the curve, but there's few of them in Congress today.

[maddezmom]

2. Not just the Congress: Military to back big Iraq buildup

By Julian E. Barnes

Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON — As President Bush weighs new policy options for Iraq, strong support has coalesced in the Pentagon behind a military plan to "double down" in the country with a substantial buildup in U.S. troops, an increase in industrial aid and a major combat offensive against Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shiite leader impeding development of the Iraqi government.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff will present their assessment and recommendations to President Bush at the Pentagon today.

Military officials, including some advising the chiefs, have argued that an intensified effort might be the only way to get the U.S. counterinsurgency strategy right and provide a chance for victory.

The approach overlaps somewhat a course promoted publicly by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. But the Pentagon proposals add several additional features, including the confrontation with al-Sadr, a possible renewed offensive in the Sunni stronghold of Anbar province, a large Iraqi jobs program and a proposal for a long-term increase in the size of the military.

more:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003474825_iraq13.html?syndication=rss

[rodeodance]

3. the Repug congress just dummped their poop and left town.