Iraq: Poll Numbers Get Even Worse

The latest Harris Poll ofpublic attitudes on the situation in Iraq makes for depressing reading.

Most of the numbers are worse than they have ever been in the course ofmore than three years. For example, those who believe that the situationfor U.S. troops "is getting better" has now fallen to nine percent,compared to 17 percent in September 2006 and 22 percent in January of this year.

These are some of the results of a survey of 2,429 U.S. adults conducted online between November 13 and 20, 2006 by Harris Interactive.

The main trends, since the same questions were asked in September, are:

-- A 58 percent majority now believes that the situation for U.S. troops is getting worse and only nine percent think it is getting better. In September, a 45 percent to 17 percent plurality felt this way;

-- A 46 percent to 36 percent plurality (compared to 44% to 39% in September) now believes that "taking military action against Iraq" was the wrong thing to do;

-- A 63 percent to 17 percent majority is "not confident" that U.S. policy in Iraq will be successful, compared to a 61 percent to 20 percent majority in September.

In reply to a new question, this Harris Poll finds that a massive 83 percent to 11 percent majority gives positive marks to U.S. solders in Iraq. A much more modest 52 percent to 39 percent majority also gives positive marks to U.S. generals and other military leaders.

However, large majorities give negative ratings to the Iraqi government (by 78% to 12%),the Iraqi security forces (by 73 % to 16%) and to outgoing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (by 68% to 23%), who of course has resigned pending the confirmation of a successor.