Poll shows low support for more U.S. troops in Iraq

Source: Xinhuanet | 01-10-2007 08:18

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Six out of 10 Americans oppose the idea of increased U.S. troop levels in Iraq, according to a new poll published on Tuesday.

President George W. Bush will outline his "new way forward" in Iraq Wednesday, which is expected to include a plan to deploy up to 20,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq.

The poll, taken by USA Today/Gallup Poll Friday through Sunday, found that 61 percent of those surveyed opposed the idea of sending additional troops to Iraq, and only 36 percent approved of the proposal.

Only 26 percent of those surveyed, a record low, approved of Bush's handling of Iraq, according to the poll of 1,004 adults that had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

The president's overall job approval rating was 37 percent, up 2 percentage points from mid-December.

Nearly half of those surveyed said the United States could not achieve its goals in Iraq regardless of how many troops it sends, while one in four said U.S. goals could be achieved only with an increase in troop numbers.

By 72 percent - 25 percent, Americans said Bush did not have a clear plan for handling the situation in Iraq, according to the poll.　

Editor:Du Xiaodan