Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

US Poll on Afghan War

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • US Poll on Afghan War

    This is bad. Morale back home is important.

    US public loses appetite for war
    20 Aug [FT] A majority of Americans do not believe the war in Afghanistan is worth the sacrifice, according to a poll by the Washington Post that highlights the dilemma facing the US in its fight against the Taliban .

    Some 51 per cent of the survey’s 1,001 respondents said the war was not worth fighting, with 47 per cent maintaining that it was worthwhile. Previous polls for the newspaper, conducted over the past two and a half years, had shown at least 50 per cent support for the war.

    Those strongly opposed to the war in Afghanistan now significantly outnumber its strong supporters, with 41 per cent compared to 31 per cent.

    Other recent surveys have also shown rising doubts in the US, particularly after July, which saw the highest number of American casualties since the war began, with over 40 deaths. US officials linked the tally both to the intensified offensive against the Taliban and the insurgents’ use of improvised explosive devices.

    According to a CNN poll this month, 54 per cent say they oppose the war, up six points from May. ....
    Last edited by Merlin; 20 Aug 09,, 08:11.

  • #2
    President Obama now has to pay more attention, and selling skills to the war in Afghanistan.

    Afghan war poll triggers Obama political alarms
    19 Aug [LATimes] As President Obama concludes weeks of intense -- and increasingly desperate -- salesmanship on his keystone and embattled healthcare reform plans, a discouraging alarm arrived today that he may soon have to devote his selling skills toward a less interesting but more dangerous area of concern for him:

    The war in Afghanistan.
    Secure parts of that country vote in a presidential election Thursday. And quietly coming through the bureaucratic defense pipeline is a request for even more U.S. troops, on top of the compromise 17,000 additional Obama approved last winter.

    Current U.S. troop strength there is 62,000, scheduled to jump to 68,000 in coming weeks.

    But today a new Washington Post/ABC News poll reveals that a majority of Americans now believe that historically troubled land is not worth fighting for -- and only 24% back a troop increase. While 45% say the American troop commitment there should actually be reduced.

    This indicates that even during a normally carefree summer vacation period .... the American public is apparently not buying Obama's Afghan argument, made as recently as his Monday speech to a VFW convention in Phoenix that echoed Pres. George W. Bush's argument for involvement in Iraq. ....

    Politically, Obama is entering a treacherous spot as autumn approaches. ....

    Comment

    Working...
    X