Dec 11 2007
Strong Majority See Progress In Iraq
The media is trying to blunt the news that the tide is turning on the Surrendercrats and the SurrenderMedia, but the fact is a new poll shows an ever changing view on Iraq that follows the drop in violence, but with a 4 month delay:
By 52 percent to 41 percent, most said the U.S. is making progress in Iraq. When AP-Ipsos last asked that question in September 2006 — a time when vicious sectarian attacks resembled a civil war — just 39 percent saw improvements under way.
Er.., that would be a complete reversal in public opinion (39 “yes”, to 41 “no”). There are some other heartening numbers in the poll the SurrenderMedia can only attempt to spin. The fact is the left is now defending a defeat that never happened – and still wishing it would come. A recipe for disaster in 2008:
Thirty-six percent now approve of the overall job he is doing — up four percentage points from last month, but still a poor showing for a president. Eight in 10 Republicans, three in 10 independents and one in 10 Democrats approve. His highest marks — 42 percent approval — are for handling foreign policy and terrorism.
Congress’ approval remains mired at 25 percent — near its January low of 22 percent.
I still predict Bush’s numbers will rise in 2008 as he heads into the sunset and people focus on all he did right and begin to put the ginned up negatives in perspective (e.g., could Bush really stop LA Governor Blanco and NO Mayor Nagin from leaving so many people in the track of a once-in-a-century storm?). But Congress has avoided all opportunities to admit their OWN defeat on Iraq and get right with the country at large. I don’t see them fixing their problems before 2008.
Full results here. Hey RCP folks – why not put up polls on the Iraq war since it will probably effect the next election cycle more than any other topic?
Update: I confirmed my speculation above that they numbers on “Progress In Iraq” have totally reversed (link above to full results). In Feb the numbers were progress=39, losing ground=56. Now they are progress=52, losing ground 41. It is clear the dems and the far left are standing shaky and ever more lonely ground. More important is the fact Americans are coming to grips with the fact they were wrong about the Surge. In Jan 07 the 70% said sending in more troops would NOT help Iraq. 25% predicted (rightfully) it would help. That range fell to 64-32 by the time the troops were sent in. Now, with hindsight, the poll shows 50% say the extra troops did not help and 47% say if did. From a 50% difference to 3%. And as I said, these numbers are not done moving yet, anymore than the numbers on violence in Iraq are done moving downward yet.
One can only predict what another 11 months could do to all these numbers. The Dems should actually be frightened to death of what 11 months of progress and ever more troop withdrawals will do to these numbers. My guess is by November, if the trend continues, the anti-war crowd of 15-20% will be pretty much all alone again. We will see support for Iraq policies above 60%, detractors around 20% and a totally different dynamic working on the 2008 elections – if the Dems continue their call and hope for defeat in Iraq. All bets are off if the embrace success in Iraq.
I’m not sure what your point is. One can believe (inaccurately) that the surge has made “progress” without believing that we should stay in Iraq, given the fact that it is in America’s interests to leave Iraq. And the numbers on whether we should stay in Iraq haven’t changed much, even as the MSM has been printing “surge” propaganda for months.
So another one of the Bush-cultist talking points has been disproven. Bush cultists were saying a year ago that Americans didn’t oppose the war, they just didn’t want to stay if we weren’t “winning.” But as it turns out, most Americans understand that we can’t “win” in Iraq, and that in fact the only way to avoid a humiliating defeat is for us to leave — not drawing down the surge troops (which you inaccurately call a “withdrawal”) but reducing troop levels substantially.
Another talking point that’s been disproven is the one that the MSM is a left wing “surrendermedia.” Why do Americans increasingly think the surge is working? Because the MSM has been saying so. This even though the surge failed (in that the surge pushed casualties up throughout the summer, and the surge therefore made Iraq worse) and the September through November drop in casualties was due to other factors (like Sadr calling a cease-fire). If the MSM were left-wing, they would not be pushing the narrative that the surge is working, nor would they be under-reporting December’s carnage, nor would they be pretending that 2005-level violence means we’re “winning” (we couldn’t “win” in 2005 either).
It must be sad for you Bush cultists. You supported continuing the war, even though you knew that it was in America’s interests to leave, because you knew that by staying in Iraq America would be defeated and hand a victory to Al-Qaeda. But after months of “surge” propaganda, Americans still support the only thing that can avoid an American defeat: a withdrawal from Iraq. Sorry, conservatives, your dream of causing an American defeat through an eternal presence in Iraq is no closer to being a reality. We cannot “win” in Iraq, but we can lose; and if you don’t want us to leave, then you want us to lose.
That is the reason in a nutshell why the most far left for the last week or so plus moveon types are trying to force the anti war position onto the Dems more now than when they really might have had some success when the numbers were with them.
All you hear over there is we worked to elect you, paid money out of our pockets and bought you to withdraw immediately from Iraq and you did us in.
I have been saying for over two months they are starting to get edgy over there and it looks like it might be working out.
Read the sites left of Kos land (yes the do exist Virginia) and you will see it clear.
The thought of Bush receiving credit for liberating and pacifying Iraq (and devastating al Qaeda in the process) is making leftists incoherent – as Jabills demonstrates above by arguing that the only way for America to win is to abandon the mission before it is completed.
I suspect he may know that the only way to lose is to do as he suggests but , OTOH, he may be as delusional as he sounds.
Jabills, it cannot possibly be a “fact” that it is in America’s interests, or anyone else’s either, for us to leave Iraq. What about the Iraqis? They believe it is in their interest for us to stay, they’ve asked us to stay; where is that vaunted liberal compassion for the “oppressed” now? I find it instructive that your side wants us to do precisely what the enemy in Iraq wants us to do. What you want is clearly juxtaposed to America’s interests, and I think you know it.
The MSM has been dragged, kicking and screaming, by the internet reporting and talk radio into reporting positive news on the war. They are reporting progress now because they have to. Unlike you, they don’t believe they can state what they WISH reality to be, and convince rational people it is true.
We can’t win in Iraq? Huh? Do you realize that the left is batting a big fat zero on predictions about this war? I guess there is some truth in what you say, because it has become glaringly apparent that America cannot win in the eyes of its own citizens who wish us to lose.
kind of interesting to see post’s like jabills, just as a demonstration of how completely out of touch with reality the nutcases on the left are.
There’s no point trying to talk to them directly, not unless they take some heavy doses of thorazine first. At the moment, they don’t even live in the same universe as the rest of humanity.