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Most Americans, looking at a globe, would be hard pressed to find Afghanistan. Americans on the whole know very little about the land or its people — and care even less. They know we’re at war over there, wherever it is, but if you were to ask what a Pashtun is or mention the name Abdullah Abdullah you would most likely get a blank stare. Americans’ minds are on other things, like trying to figure out why, if the Great Recession is over...

WASHINGTON -- Democratic leaders in Congress urged the Obama administration Thursday to quickly produce a plan for winning the war in Afghanistan or risk widespread opposition within the president's own party to a new troop buildup. Simmering congressional frustration could lead to tighter scrutiny and more limited resources, even if Capitol Hill ultimately does approve sending more U.S. troops to the war-torn nation, aides said. "I don't think there's a great deal of support for sending more troops to Afghanistan in the country or in the Congress," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-ranking Democrat to signal that a push...

Violence has been on the rise across much of Afghanistan since President Obama ordered 21,000 U.S. troops to the country, shifting the focus of the U.S.-led war on Islamic extremism from Iraq. Now some are calling Afghanistan "Obama's war." Do you agree? Is Afghanistan 'Obama's war'? Yes. No. I'm not sure.

Fifty-seven Percent (57%) now oppose the war in Afghanistan. The biggest change has come from Democrats. Almost three quarters of Democrats now oppose the war. Perhaps Americans sense a lack of commitment from President Obama. Shadow Government had this to say, "There are few things more toxic for effective civil-military relations in wartime than the military believing that their political commanders are not serious about seeing the conflict through to a successful conclusion."

Poll: Americans Have Come Full Circle On Iraq Americans Feel More Positive About Iraq, Less So About Afghanistan Six years after the start of U.S. military operations in Iraq, American optimism about the situation in Iraq has returned to levels last seen in 2003, according to a new CBS News poll. Still, most Americans continue to believe the U.S. should have stayed out of Iraq in the first place. And Americans are now far more pessimistic about the situation in Afghanistan than they are the war in Iraq. Sixty-four percent of Americans now say U.S. efforts to bring stability and...

President-elect Barack Obama, on "60 Minutes," defended the financial bailout package. Yes, said Obama, the economy continues to suffer, but "I think the part of the way to think about it is things could be worse. … So part of what we have to measure against is what didn't happen and not just what has happened." Interesting. Why not apply the "what didn't happen" standard to the unpopular Iraq war? Obama calls the Iraq invasion a "dumb war." Never mind that all of his Democratic presidential nomination Senate opponents -- Sen. Chris Dodd, Sen./VP-elect Joe Biden, Sen. Hillary Clinton and...

Voter confidence about the situation in Iraq has hit an all time high. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 51% of voters now expect the situation in Iraq to improve over the next six months.

Granted the focus of today's news is overwhelmingly on the bailout and the presidential race, but there is also big news on how Americans are now seeing the war effort. The pendulum has swung from despair to hopeful belief and this is important news that impinges on the elections. Rasmussen released new data on September 30 that shows that more Americans are now viewing the war as a success and a growing number think that things will get even better in the near future. This is the highest support that Rasmussen has seen since they began to report on this...

One-third (32%) of Americans believe the situation in Iraq is getting better, two in five (41%) say things are staying the same and 16 percent say things are getting worse. This is better than in May when only one in five (22%) said things were getting better; and,

The number of Americans who believe getting the troops home from Iraq is more important than winning the war there has fallen below 50% for the first time since Rasmussen Reports began polling on the question in May.

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds the country split down the middle between those backing Sen. Barack Obama's 16-month timeline for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and those agreeing with Sen. John McCain's position that events, not timetables, should dictate when forces come home. Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, will deliver what his campaign is billing as a "major address" on Iraq today in Washington, part of an effort to convince voters that he could serve effectively as commander in chief. The public is also evenly divided on that question, with 48 percent saying he would be...

The number of Americans who believe it is possible for the U.S. to win the War in Iraq has increased over the past year. Forty percent (40%) of American voters now say victory in Iraq is possible. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that a slightly larger percentage—44%--disagree and say victory is not possible. Republicans, by a 3-to-1 margin, say victory is possible. Democrats, by a similar margin, say it is not. Unaffiliated voters are evenly divided. A plurality of men say victory is possible while a plurality of women say it is not. Those figures reflect more...

Simple mistake, or wish fulfillment? Appearing on MSNBC this afternoon, a Washington Post reporter claimed the paper's latest poll results showed Barack Obama with a "big lead" over John McCain on the issue of handling Iraq. The only problem: the poll actually shows McCain with a small lead. David Shuster interviewed Ed O'Keefe of WashingtonPost.com at 3:03 PM EDT. DAVID SHUSTER: Ed, when asked who do you trust on the economy Barack Obama is ahead by 16 points. On women's issues he's ahead by 32 points. So where's John McCain making up the difference. ED O'KEEFE: Terrorism. He's ahead of...

Sky news poll on Afghanistan http://news.sky.com/skynews/home The Brits’ support in Afghanistan is a good thing. Help support our troops by supporting the Brits’ presence there. Please copy this link to a doc, and vote from your own computer. Often the polls close as soon as they see a Free Republic response. . .

BAGHDAD - Signs are emerging that Iraq has reached a turning point. Violence is down, armed extremists are in disarray, government confidence is rising and sectarian communities are gearing up for a battle at the polls rather than slaughter in the streets. Those positive signs are attracting little attention in the United States, where the war-weary public is focused on the American presidential contest and skeptical of talk of success after so many years of unfounded optimism by the war's supporters. Unquestionably, the security and political situation in Iraq is fragile. U.S. commanders warn repeatedly that security gains are reversible....

The "surge" of American troops in Iraq last year winds to a close next month when the last two surge brigades redeploy home. Security conditions in the Iraq they are leaving are much improved over those the extra troops encountered when they arrived, say analysts and defense officials, many of whom are confident that trend will continue even without the extra US troops. The departure of the two brigades comes as the number of American casualties is at a new low. Of the heavy fighting that continues in Iraq, in places like Basra and the Baghdad suburb of Sadr City,...

When it comes to the economy, 47% of voters trust John McCain more than Barack Obama. Obama is trusted more by 41%. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey also found that, when it comes to the War in Iraq, McCain is trusted more by 49% of voters. Obama is preferred by 37%. McCain has an even larger edge—53% to 31%--on the broader topic of National Security. These results are little changed from a month ago.

Unsolved mysteries of the universe: Where did matter come from? Why did all those ships vanish in the Bermuda Triangle? Is there really a Loch Ness Monster? And here's a new one to add to your list. In poll after poll, about two-thirds of Americans say they oppose the war in Iraq, believe things in Iraq are going badly for the United States, disapprove of the way President Bush is handling the war, consider even the initial decision to go to war to have been wrong and want the next president to end the war quickly. Yet -- and here...

Gordon Brown, uncontested as Labour leader, was supposed to bring calm, restore stability and optimism, and unite his party and the country. Instead this week we've have stormy weather over post offices, embryology and Iraq. It's disappointing but not surprising that a Tory attempt to force the government to hold an Iraq inquiry sooner rather than later was voted down in the Commons last night. Backbench Labour MPs may talk up their regrets about the war, but they show the same misguided loyalty to the government that led us into the war in the first place. Five years ago I...

The perception that the U.S. troop surge in Iraq has succeeded is changing some public views of the war, potentially blunting Democrats' political edge on the issue.

Cast Your Vote http://www.military.com/hp/poll?poll=undefined

WASHINGTON - Growing numbers of people think the U.S. is making progress in Iraq and will eventually be able to claim some success there, a poll showed Tuesday in a sign the politics of the war could become more complicated for Democrats. With diminishing U.S. and Iraqi casualties and the start of modest troop withdrawals, the public's mood seems to have brightened a bit, the Associated Press-Ipsos poll showed. That is a rarity in what has been a relentlessly unpopular war. "I still have hopes the people in Iraq will appreciate us being there," said Daniel Laird, 30, a firefighter...

Being against the war after she was for it, could it be soon be time for Hillary to be for it again? The question arises in light of the recent findings by Charles Franklin [pictured here] at Pollster.com. According to his November 6th Pollster.com analysis, there has been a "remarkable" shift, in a postive direction, in public opinion on the war in Iraq. Excerpts from Franklin's Ten Months of Opinion Change on War and More [emphasis added]:

Polls: Distaste for Iraq war unchanged WASHINGTON - Gen. David Petraeus' report to Congress and President Bush's nationally televised address have had little impact on Americans' distaste for the Iraq war and their desire to withdraw U.S. troops, polls show. Fifty-four percent still favor bringing the troops home as soon as possible, a measurement that has not changed in months, according to a poll released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. And despite slight improvements in peoples' views of military progress, more said the U.S. will likely fail in Iraq than succeed by 47 percent to 42 percent, about...

NEW YORK — The latest FOX News poll shows that while President Bush’s job rating remains low and a majority of Americans disapproves of his performance, his approval rating is up this week to its highest level in five months. Today 37 percent of Americans say they approve of the job Bush is doing, up from 33 percent last month, and 58 percent disapprove. In addition, approval of Congress also increased: 32 percent of Americans approve, up from 24 percent in August, and 56 percent disapprove. As Americans traditionally begin to focus more on political and public policy issues after...

Unreported facts from the ABC survey in Iraq September 10, 2007 http://abcnews.go.com/images/US/1043a1IraqWhereThingsStand.pdf 1. Surveyors were anonymous-- refer to troops as occupiers. This is important since it jeopardizes the lives of respondents if they speak favorably of coalition forces. Speaking favorably of anti coalition forces brings no personal risk. SURVEYORS SHOULD HAVE IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES AND TAKEN THAT RISK FOR THEMSELVES AND NOT THRUST IT UPON RESPONDENTS 2. The surge has worked: "Thirty-eight percent in Anbar province, a focal point of the surge, now rate local security positively; none did so six months ago. In Baghdad fewer now describe themselves as feeling...

—Another glass-half-full analysis— A day after the Washington Post/ABC News poll highlighted the failure of the multi-million dollar anti-war campaign this summer to decrease support for the war in Iraq (their poll showed most positions unchanged on the war, and that support for the surge actually grew since July), the New York Times/CBS News poll shows similar results. The NYT/CBS poll showed a 16 percent jump since July among respondents who believe the surge is making the situation in Iraq better. And for the first time since the surge began, the NYT/CBS poll shows more people believe the surge is...

Americans trust military commanders far more than the Bush administration or Congress to bring the war in Iraq to a successful end, and while most favor a withdrawal of American troops beginning next year, they suggested they were open to doing so at a measured pace, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll. On the eve of what is sure to be a contentious debate on Iraq, the results underscored the benefits to the White House of entrusting the top American commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, to make the case that an increase in American forces...

Americans trust military commanders far more than the Bush administration or Congress to bring the war in Iraq to a successful end, and while most favor a withdrawal of American troops beginning next year, they suggested they were open to doing so at a measured pace, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll. On the eve of what is sure to be a contentious debate on Iraq, the results underscored the benefits to the White House of entrusting the top American commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, to make the case that an increase in American forces...

The latest of four opinion polls commissioned by the BBC and ABC has provided a revealing insight into the everyday lives, hopes and fears of people living in Iraq.

Petraeus set to testify as pressures mount WASHINGTON - As General David H. Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, prepared to report to Congress today on gains made by the surge of 30,000 additional US troops in Iraq, two national polls released yesterday indicated that a majority of Americans believe the increased US troop presence has failed to deliver significant improvements in the war-torn country. The polls are troubling signs for the Bush administration's intensifying efforts to keep up American support for a large-scale troop presence in Iraq. Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Iraq, are slated...

CBS) With President Bush's top military and diplomatic advisers on Iraq due to deliver a major progress report on the president's "surge" strategy, a new CBS News/New York Times poll finds that an increasing number of Americans believe the troop buildup in Iraq is having a positive impact. U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus are expected to warn Congress on Monday that making any significant changes to the current war strategy will jeopardize the limited security and political progress made so far. Later in the week, Mr. Bush plans a national address. The poll finds 35 percent say...

Most people across the world believe US-led forces should withdraw from Iraq within a year, a BBC poll suggests.Some 39% of people in 22 countries said troops should leave now, and 28% backed a gradual pull-out. Just 23% wanted them to stay until Iraq was safe. In the US, one-in-four supported an immediate withdrawal, while 32% wanted Iraq's security issues to be resolved before bringing the troops home. The BBC World Service commissioned the survey of 23,193 people. In the survey, people were asked whether coalition troops should pull out of Iraq immediately, commit to a gradual withdrawal over a...

UPI/Zogby Poll: Most Americans Say Iraq War Not Lost Survey finds two in three Democrats believe the war is already lost A majority of Americans - 54% - believe the United States has not lost the war in Iraq, but there is dramatic disagreement on the question between Democrats and Republicans, a new UPI/Zogby Interactive poll shows. While two in three Democrats (66%) said the war effort has already failed, just 9% of Republicans say the same. The poll comes ahead of a September report to Congress by David Petraeus, commander of the multi-national force in Iraq, on the progress...

The White House believes it has made significant progress over the past month in swaying public and political opinion toward supporting a continued U.S. military effort in Iraq, one of President Bush's closest advisers said in an interview. "The end of the August feels a lot better than the beginning of August when it comes to where we are relative to perceptions of our Iraq policy and what is working," said Ed Gillespie, counselor to the president. Congress returns Tuesday from a monthlong recess that did not go according to plan for Democratic leaders and the antiwar movement, who were...

A majority of Americans say the United States can win the war in Iraq, but the country is sharply divided along party lines about every aspect of the war, according to a United Press International/Zogby poll released today. The poll shows 54 percent of Americans said the war is not lost. However, among Democrats, 66 percent said the mission has failed already, compared to 9 percent of Republicans who shared that view. The survey also showed the country split on the success of the U.S. troop surge ordered earlier this year by President Bush and on the wartime performance of...

A majority of Americans - 54% - believe the United States has not lost the war in Iraq, but there is dramatic disagreement on the question between Democrats and Republicans, a new UPI/Zogby Interactive poll shows. While two in three Democrats (66%) said the war effort has already failed, just 9% of Republicans say the same. Asked to define a U.S. victory in Iraq, 37% of American adults overall said it would be achieved when Iraq gains control over its own internal security (a view with which 58% of Republicans, but just 17% of Democrats, agree). But nearly as many...

A recent poll shows that 40% of Americans think Saddam is behind the 9/11 attacks. Despite the MSM propaganda and the US establishment denials, it proves that a solid proportion of the folks is not easy to fool. Many FReepers and American citizens have been amazed how the US establishment buried the story of the links between Al-Qaeda and Iraq, despite overhelming evidences of ties between the two. Many people don't understand how the FBI could still claim to have NO IDEA of who committed the anthrax attacks against the United States, despite the gravity of this event. Many people...

Many Americans have lingering confusion about Iraq's role in the 9/11 attacks, a new Newsweek study reveals. For its "What You Need to Know" cover story, Newsweek found troubling gaps in knowledge of the 1,001 adult Americans who participated in a poll to test their knowledge of politics, foreign affairs, business, technology and popular culture. As the poll summary reports: "The results were mixed, to be charitible." Even today, more than four years into the war in Iraq, as many as four in 10 Americans (41 percent) still believe Saddam Hussein’s regime was directly involved in financing, planning or carrying...

NEW YORK Despite rising criticism from some quarters, Gen. David Petraeus appears to command considerable respect from the average American, a new Gallup poll reveals, booosting the chances that his much-publicized September report on the "surge" will be treated as credible by most. The poll of 1,012 adults, taken earlier this month, found that 47% give him a favorable rating, and only 21% unfavorable. The rest had not heard of him or had no opinion. This is the first time that Gallup asked Americans about their overall opinion of Petraeus. In April, however, Gallup asked about the reliability of various...

According to a new CBS News poll, Americans have become somewhat more optimistic about the impact of the troop surge in Iraq. The poll, released Monday, shows that 29 percent of respondents now believe that the surge is having a positive impact, an increase of 10 percentage points from last month.

Pollsters and the news media are flummoxed. Despite the tsunami of negative news about the Iraq war that floods America every day, Americans refuse to be fooled forever. Finally, they're warming up to the notions that a) this is a war had to be fought or the terrorists would bring the fight to U.S. shores, and b) the troop surge and Gen. David Petraeus' new military strategy in Iraq are turning the tide. The latest USA Today/Gallup Poll shows 31 percent of respondents now believe the surge is working (24 percent say it's not), a nine-point improvement from July with...

This may be the sign of a new trend, or simply a summer illusion, but the growing accumulation of evidence can no longer be ignored: Could U.S. President George W. Bush's new strategy in Iraq be working? There are signs that the American public is seeing positive results. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain the results of a Gallup poll, which showed that 31 percent of those asked felt that the infusion of additional troops in Iraq "has improved the situation." This constituted a nearly 10-percent increase. At the same time, there is a drop of nearly 10 percent, from...

WASHINGTON (CNN) – America can win the war in Iraq, but most Americans think that, in the end, the country won’t succeed, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Thursday. “Most Americans think that the war is winnable — and that’s a notable change since March — but a majority still doesn’t think that the U.S. will win,” CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said. “Back in 2004, just 37 percent thought the U.S. would not win in Iraq, but by 2006, that number had grown to 56 percent, essentially where it is today.” According to the poll, 54...

It's not often that an opinion article shakes up Washington and changes the way a major issue is viewed. But that happened last week, when The New York Times printed an opinion article by Brookings Institution analysts Michael O'Hanlon and Ken Pollack on the progress of the surge strategy in Iraq. Yes, progress. O'Hanlon and Pollack supported the invasion of Iraq in 2003 -- Pollack even wrote a book urging the overthrow of Saddam Hussein -- but they have sharply criticized military operations there in the ensuing years. "As two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration's miserable handling...

It's not often that an opinion article shakes up Washington and changes the way a major issue is viewed. But that happened last week, when the New York Times printed an opinion article by Brookings Institution analysts Michael O'Hanlon and Ken Pollack on the progress of the surge strategy in Iraq. Yes, progress. O'Hanlon and Pollack supported the invasion of Iraq in 2003 — Pollack even wrote a book urging the overthrow of Saddam Hussein — but they have sharply criticized military operations there in the ensuing years. "As two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration's miserable handling...

Note:  I see that my good friend Melanie Morgan, our Chairman at Move America Forward, was just as eager to share the great news on the rising poll numbers for “the surge” in Iraq as I was.  I’m going to leave both posts up as it’s news that’s worth repeating, and you can chose from whose lips you want to hear it from Public Supporting Troop “Surge” A new poll shows that the good news in Iraq is finally filtering through to the public, which supports the “surge” “surge” in greater numbers than only a month ago. In the latest...

When a New York Times poll found that the number of Americans who think it was right for the United States to go to war in Iraq rose from 35 percent in May to percent 42 percent in mid-July, rather than promptly report the new poll findings, the paper conducted another poll. As the Times' Janet Elder wrote Sunday, the increased support for the decision to go to war was "counterintuitive" and because it "could not be easily explained, the paper went back and did another poll on the very same subject." Round Two found that 42 percent of voters...

THE war in Iraq is the single most important continuing news issue right now. Public opinion about the war is a critical part of that story. That’s why when a finding about the war in a New York Times poll could not be easily explained, the paper went back and did another poll on the very same subject. It turns out the poll had gotten it right. Support for the initial invasion of Iraq, as measured by a question The New York Times/CBS News Poll has asked since December 2003, increased modestly compared with two months ago. The Times and...

Americans’ support for the initial invasion of Iraq has risen somewhat as the White House has continued to ask the public to reserve judgment about the war until at least the fall. In a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted over the weekend, 42 percent of Americans said that looking back, taking military action in Iraq was the right thing to do, while 51 percent said the United States should have stayed out of Iraq. But two-thirds of those polled said the United States should reduce its forces in Iraq, or remove them altogether. Support for the invasion had been...