Poll finds a U.S. public weary of war in Iraq

By Maura Reynolds
LA Times

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 the midterm election 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 a timetable for withdrawing troops.

Nearly two-thirds said they believe Iraq has descended into "civil war," which Bush has denied.

At a time when the Bush administration is at work on a new strategy for Iraq and is resisting calls to start bringing troops home, the poll suggests that the president and his staff are out of step with public opinion.

"The public doesn't want the status quo any longer in Iraq, and they believe the Democrats, rather than President Bush, will be best at finding a solution to the war," polling director Susan Pinkus said.

A majority of 52 percent of the poll's respondents -- including nearly one in three Republicans -- said they preferred a "fixed timetable" for withdrawal, while only 26 percent of those surveyed favored the president's option of keeping troops on the ground until the country is secure.

(The rest is here.)